Workplace Food Ordering App
The effect on sales of a) increased availability of vegetarian sausage options and b) making them the pre-selected default option in a workplace food ordering app.
The Problem
Reducing average meat consumption of individuals in high-income countries is essential to mitigate climate change, reverse biodiversity loss and improve population health. Changing the default option (i.e. the option that citizens will receive unless they make an active choice for an alternative) can lead to significant behavioural changes in domains from organ donations to pension enrolment. Changing defaults from meat to plant-based in food settings could be a potentially effective and socially acceptable strategy to reduce meat consumption. Increasing the availability of vegetarian options can be effective at changing customers’ food selections and providing vegetarian options may be a necessary first step before being able to introduce a vegetarian default.
Research question
- Does introducing vegetarian sausage options alongside the pork sausage equivalent in a workplace food ordering app, decrease the proportion of pork sausages sold?
- Does changing the pre-selected default from a pork sausage to vegetarian sausage decrease the proportion of pork sausages sold?
The Intervention
This study will assess the effects of two interventions on vegetarian sales at breakfast times: 1) increasing the availability of vegetarian sausage options by introducing equivalent options (e.g. Buttered veggie sausage app alongside Buttered pork sausage app) together in an app sub-menu and 2) changing the pre-selected option to be vegetarian by default (a small, low effort default) in a workplace food ordering app. It will also explore other outcomes such as environmental impacts and nutritional value of the breakfast items per transaction to determine any unexpected positive or negative effects. Additionally, process evaluations will be conducted to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention.
Each intervention will be implemented using a stepped-wedge design, where each worksite will adopt first the availability increase at various (randomised time points) and secondly the default intervention in two-week intervals.
The interventions could work by reducing the effort for customers to find and order vegetarian sausage options and increasing customers’ familiarity with the vegetarian options.
Key Stakeholders
Catering company, workplace food ordering app staff and customers.
Setting
Worksites across England
Target population
Anyone who uses the workplace food ordering app in participating worksites.
Theory of change
Recruitment
Sites which used the workplace food ordering app and sold more than 500 items on it from the start of June 2024 to end of November 2024, were invited to participate.
Data collection
All outcome data (food purchases, ingredients, nutritional quality, etc.) was provided centrally by the catering company.
Modelling
Environmental and health impacts of the trial will be modelled using recipe data. Recipes (ingredients, amounts, and nutrition info) will be translated into health and environmental effects of active vs intervention periods of the trial.
Governance
Ethical approval for this study was given by Oxford University’s Medical Sciences Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee (IDREC), under reference number R72710/RE007.
Process evaluation
We will explore the perspectives of a range of stakeholders and recipients involved in the field trial. We will focus on the fidelity, acceptability and perceived effectiveness of the interventions and will aim to uncover any particular challenges or successes that arose. Researchers will conduct semi-structured interviews with catering managers, kitchen staff and customers at the to gain their perspectives on the different options available, the ease of using the app before and during the interventions, and their assessments of what influences customer food choices.
Proposed outputs
Academic paper(s), academic conference presentations.
timescale
The trial will be conducted in early 2025.
Our Team
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Elisa Becker
Researcher
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