Originally published on World Resources Institute.

Food production accounts for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, with animal-based foods contributing double the emissions of plant-based foods. Shifting consumer demand from animal-based foods to more plant-based alternatives is key to reducing the food-related impacts of climate change, as well as resource use and biodiversity loss. New research suggests that simple changes to messaging on restaurant menus can help consumers make that change.

A Simple Behavioral Science Solution

Behavioral science has begun to explore strategies to encourage and empower consumers to make more sustainable food choices through a variety of behavioral economics-based “nudge” interventions. Although much research has been done on sustainability labels, symbols and icons in recent years, relatively little attention has been paid to the descriptive consumer messages presented at the point of sale. WRI’s previous research on the use of language in menus found that the words used can have a big impact and, in general, messaging is arguably much easier to implement for restaurants and food businesses than it is. an environmental label.

To determine whether climate messages impact consumer choices — and if so, which type of message works best — WRI tested 10 different sustainability messages with more than 6,000 study participants in the States. -United. Participants were asked which restaurant menu item they would choose in a simulated online ordering scenario. Each of the 10 sustainability-focused messages communicated a unique (combination of) benefit(s) to consumers – ranging from taste/flavor to environmental impact, health/performance and generosity/ altruism. Participants were asked to select one dish from each of two menus (one lunch and one dinner) which included six meat-based and two plant-based options:

Messages viewed by study participants on a hypothetical restaurant menu when selecting a main dish.

Compared to study participants who viewed a menu without a message, those who viewed the same menu with a sustainability message were more likely to select low-carbon vegetarian meals. In fact, two of the messages (“small changes, big impact” and “join a movement”) roughly doubled the percentage of vegetarian meals ordered by participants.

They were also more likely to order a vegetarian dish the next time they ate out.

Although a simulated event, the messages tested in this study are examples of the types of messages that could be adapted and adapted to a wide variety of real-life retail and restaurant contexts. Adding descriptive messages communicating the various benefits of plant-based food choices is a flexible, low-cost intervention that requires minimal time investment and is, therefore, a scalable approach to behavior change.

Here’s how to try a language that demonstrates “small change, big impact”:

Here’s how to try a language that demonstrates “joining a movement”:

Email update is a simple solution for food businesses

Real-world testing will be important, but the results of these studies suggest that pushing consumers through climate messaging in the context of making food-related decisions is a promising strategy to encourage more sustainable food choices. .

In particular, messages communicating the environmental trade-offs between meat-based and plant-based options in conceptual terms (e.g. the energy needed to charge a phone) or social trends in the adoption of meat-based menus. plants (for example, the percentage of people who choose vegetarian options) appear to be particularly effective in influencing consumer behavior.

Although this study only tested one of each of these two best performing message types from an initial pilot study, it is reasonable to expect that variations on either other theme have a comparable impact. With little time to waste when it comes to getting consumers to choose more plant-based foods, food suppliers and retailers no longer have time to try this strategy.