Small changes, big impact: Reducing Ultra Processed Foods choices among low-income consumers with a swap nudge

Silvia Sapio, Gerarda Caso, Azzurra Annunziata and Riccardo Vecchioa

No 360813, 2025 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2025, Denver, CO from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Abstract: To satisfy consumer demand for convenient, tasty, and inexpensive products, Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) have become increasingly prevalent in many countries worldwide. This rise in UPFs consumption can however contribute to several health issues, particularly among low-income groups, who are more susceptible to making unhealthy food purchases. Nudging is an approach that aims to influence consumer behavior toward desired outcomes. In the context of a digital environment, the swap suggests healthier alternatives when an individual selects an unhealthy food option. Herein, an experiment was conducted on 810 low-income Italians responsible for household food purchases, who were asked to select a main and side dish in an online supermarket. When UPFs were selected, a food swap was proposed, offering a minimally processed alternative. Results provide evidence that a food swap can reduce the selection of UPFs among low-income consumers and identify specific individual factors that influence the effectiveness of a food swap among this target population. Specifically, 23% of participants accepted the swap, and younger males, with higher UPFs consumption levels and lower reactance, were more likely to follow the nudge, suggesting the potential for targeted interventions in the digital environment.

Keywords: Institutional; and; Behavioral; Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/360813/files/7 ... Swap_UPFs_merged.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea25:360813

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.360813

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in 2025 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2025, Denver, CO from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().