What if you could get people to eat healthier without changing the recipes or even telling them?
Researchers at the University of Bristol found a surprisingly simple way to do just that. In a study published in Nature Food, they cut the carbon footprint of diners’ weekly meals by about 30% and reduced saturated fat intake, all by reorganizing when certain dishes appeared on a set menu.
The experiment took place in a catered university residence hall. Instead of altering ingredients or removing favorite meals, the team swapped the days on which dishes were served. Popular but less healthy options, like chicken Kiev and lasagna, were clustered on the same day so they competed with each other. That meant greener, lower-fat options, like lentil chili and cauliflower curry, faced less competition and were chosen more often.
“Improving people’s dietary habits to deliver meaningful health and environmental benefits is a meaty challenge,” says lead author Dr. Annika Flynn. “So the scale of benefits generated by our relatively simple intervention of weekly menu manipulation, which didn’t change the actual dishes or recipes themselves and seemed to go unnoticed, were really surprising.”
Over the course of the study, one reorganized menu lowered the overall carbon footprint of diners’ choices by 31.4% and saturated fat by 11.3%. Another reduced the footprint by 30% with a smaller drop in saturated fat. Diners’ satisfaction with meals stayed the same.
The approach also has broader potential: the team estimates some menu combinations could boost fiber intake by nearly 70%, while reducing salt intake and cutting land and water use by about a third.
While the study was done in a university setting, the idea could work anywhere menus are planned in advance, from school cafeterias to workplace canteens, hospitals or even weekly meal planning at home.
As co-author Alex Sim, Development Chef at the University of Bristol, puts it, “Structuring menus to help further promote these choices is a clear win-win. We work hard to make these options really flavourful and nutritious, so it’s great to see them going down so well with students.”
The takeaway: sometimes small, behind-the-scenes changes to how food is offered can nudge people toward better choices, for their health and the planet, without them feeling pressured to eat differently.
This research was supported by the UK Research and Innovation Strategic Priorities Fund and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre.