Families who shop for groceries online may make healthier choices when their digital carts come preloaded with the ingredients for simple, nutritious meals. That is the takeaway from a University at Buffalo pilot study that tested whether “optimal defaults” in Instacart grocery carts could make it easier for parents of young children to buy nutritious foods.
The randomized study, published in Appetite, included 69 families with young children. All families received a set of healthy recipes each week for two weeks. Half had their Instacart carts automatically filled with the ingredients needed to make those meals. Families could add, remove or swap items before paying for and ordering their groceries.
The group that received preloaded carts ended up buying groceries with a significantly higher nutritional quality than families who only received the recipes. Importantly, grocery spending did not increase.
“The findings support the idea that healthier choices can be supported by making them easier and more automatic,” said Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, PhD, the study’s corresponding author and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University at Buffalo.
Families in the study purchased the same groceries they would normally consume, offering a real-world view of how digital nudges might work in daily life.
Healthy eating habits formed early in childhood can shape long-term food preferences and health outcomes. Because children ages 2 to 5 are often hesitant to try new foods, Anzman-Frasca and her colleagues designed recipes based on each family’s stated preferences and used preloaded carts to streamline the process of shopping for those meals.
Co-author Mackenzie Ferrante, PhD, noted that defaults matter when people make food choices.
“When faced with making a choice, most people will take the default option unless they’re highly motivated to choose an alternative,” she said.
Families in both groups reduced their grocery spending over the four-week period, which researchers say may reflect greater awareness as participants tracked their purchases. Some described the experience as eye-opening.
Instacart provided the technological tools for the pilot, and representatives noted the potential to scale similar approaches.
“This real-world study shows how Instacart’s technology can make it easier for families to fill their tables with healthier foods,” said Beatrice Abiero, PhD, senior manager of policy research at Instacart.
Researchers plan to explore longer-term effects and whether default carts lead to sustained changes in eating habits. They also noted that families can use Instacart’s “Buy It Again” feature to quickly repurchase healthy ingredients they enjoyed.
This study was supported by the University at Buffalo’s Grant Resubmission Program and by funding from Instacart.