The effects of eco and hedonic labelling on hypothetical menu choices.

Mitigating the effects of climate change is a global priority. The food system accounts for approximately one-third of human-made greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, shifting consumer food choices toward more environmentally friendly options is essential. The poster will present a BBSRC Consumer Lab funded online study that investigated a targeted labelling strategy to encourage healthier, low-carbon meal choices. Participants (n=1182), stratified by gender, age, and education level, ordered a meal from a restaurant menu using a mock virtual delivery app. They were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: eco-labelling (“Planet-Friendly Special”), hedonic labelling (“Chef’s Special”), or no labelling. Eight vegan menu items (target items) were labelled accordingly, with item descriptions also adjusted to reflect the assigned experimental condition. Participants further completed measures assessing individual differences, including values and decision-making preferences. To examine labelling effects, we calculated the percentage of total meal calories from target items. A bootstrapped ANCOVA, adjusted for hunger, revealed that eco-labelling increased the calorie percentage from target items compared to no labelling (p=.005, Cohen’s d=.20), while hedonic labelling had no significant effect (p=.105, Cohen’s d=.11). Bootstrapped regression analyses were conducted to examine potential moderators of the labelling intervention. Results showed that biospheric values did not moderate the effect of eco-labelling, hedonic values did not moderate the effect of hedonic labelling, and the need for decisiveness did not moderate either labelling strategy. Our study highlights eco-labelling on menus as a promising approach to encourage sustainable food choices, which may reduce the carbon footprint of food consumption.