Behavioral Economic Concepts To Encourage Healthy Eating in School Cafeterias: Experiments and Lessons From College Students

David Just, Brian Wansink, Lisa Mancino () and Joanne Guthrie ()

No 56489, Economic Research Report from United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service

Abstract: Changing small factors that influence consumer choice may lead to healthier eating within controlled settings, such as school cafeterias. This report describes a behavioral experiment in a college cafeteria to assess the effects of various payment options and menu selection methods on food choices. The results indicate that payment options, such as cash or debit cards, can significantly affect food choices. College students using a card that prepaid only for healthful foods made more nutritious choices than students using either cash or general debit cards. How and when individuals select their food can also influence food choices. College students who preselected their meals from a menu board made significantly different food choices than students who ordered their meals while viewing the foods in line.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Health Economics and Policy; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21
Date: 2008-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-edu, nep-evo, nep-exp, nep-hea and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uersrr:56489

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.56489

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