More veggie choices on menu best way to reduce meat orders

A greater choice of vegetarian and vegan meals on a menu can nudge diners towards choosing them instead of meat or fish, a study has suggested.

Researchers at Cambridge University analysed 94,000 meal choices made at three colleges where diners make their purchases on university cards topped up with credit.

They found that doubling the vegetarian options on the menu from one in four to two in four reduced the proportion of meatrich purchases by between 40% and 80%, without affecting overall food sales.

Data was anonymised as part of the study.

The research team found that the biggest increases in plantbased dining were among the most carnivorous quartile of customers: people who had consistently picked meat or fish before a second vegetarian option was added.

The study indicated there was not a “rebound effect” – that opting for a vegetarian lunch did not make a meat-heavy dinner more likely.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lead author Emma Garnett, a conservationist from Cambridge’s Department of Zoology, said: “Shifting to a more plant-based diet is one of the most effective ways of reducing the environmental footprint of food.

“We’re not saying all cafeterias and restaurants should turn vegan overnight.

“But if food were the film industry, vegetarian and vegan meals need to land more starring roles, and meat dishes have got to stop hogging the limelight.”

The study had an observational and experimental component.

Two colleges provided data on days with different menu set-ups and a third college helped the researchers to conduct a “choice architecture” experiment during the autumn term of 2017.

At the third college, lunchtime menus alternated fortnightly between one vegetarian or vegan option then two for the experiment.