Examining public support for comprehensive policy packages to tackle unhealthy food environments.

Objective: This study examines public support - and its drivers - for comprehensive policy packages (i.e. bundles of coherent policy measures introduced together) aimed at improving food environments.

Public acceptance of default nudges to promote healthy and sustainable food choices.

Background: Default nudges are an increasingly prominent tool for promoting healthy and sustainable food choices; however, questions of acceptance remain. While default nudges are more acceptable to the public than traditionally paternalistic tools that aim to restrict choice, they are also the least acceptable amongst nudging strategies. Little research has investigated the aspects of default nudge design that can be leveraged to better uphold freedom of choice, increase public acceptance, and therefore heighten legitimacy of default nudges.

How do defaults and framing influence food choice? An intervention aimed at promoting plant-based choice in online menus.

Nudging consumers towards plant-based foods by making these choices the default option is a promising strategy for effecting sustainable dietary change. In the hypothetical context of online food ordering in a Northern European country, we examined the underlying mechanisms and effectiveness of swapping the default in menus from meat to a plant-based meat alternative. Results showed that pre-selecting a plant-based option in the online setting was not enough to increase choice of plant-based meals alone.

Consumer demand for novel fruit and vegetable products with extended shelf lives in East Africa: a multinational multi-product analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the potential of products made out of underutilised fruits and vegetables for closing seasonal nutritional gaps among rural and urban consumers in East Africa.

Design: The multinational analysis combines sensory testing and experimental auctions to assess consumers' perceptions and willingness to pay (WTP) for 6 different fruit and vegetable products.

Setting: Open markets in rural and urban areas in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The price penalty for red meat substitutes in popular dishes and the diversity in substitution.

Life cycle assessments (LCA) often highlight the environmental and health benefits for consumers if western diets substitute red meat. However, the specific trade-off consumer face when asked to substitute a red meat dish is scarcely researched, often neglecting the bouquet of substitution options and/or the price component involved. Four substitution strategies are evaluated within an individually adapted choice based conjoint: the substitution by (1) the same red meat dishes with a halved meat portion size, (2) novel plant-based products that mimic the functionality and taste, (3) authentic plant-based components that just mimic the functionality, and (4) vegetarian dishes that just neglect the meat component if still familiar to consumers.