Earlier this month, the Better Food Foundation (BFF) hosted a webinar with Cass Sunstein, a renowned author and intellectual who is a pioneer of Nudge Theory, which underlies BFF’s strategies. Not only is he a powerful champion for animals and sustainability, but he has also joined the Better Food Foundation Board of Advisors to oversee our future direction and strategies.
“Norms are basically everything,” Mr. Sunstein argues, “If people learn that there’s an emerging norm, let’s say in favor of plant-based consumption, the data shows that it can fuel and energize the growth of a larger norm.”
This is the logic behind the two most effective nudges we promote: defaults and climate-friendly menu ratios. Plant-based defaults make the plant-based option the easiest and most accessible option. Not only does this reduce the amount of animal products that consumers order, but it also reinforces a powerful norm: that plant-based foods are popular. Climate-friendly ratios have a similar impact: by ensuring that 50% or more of a menu is plant-based, customers see the growing acceptance of plant-based foods in their communities.
To create a lasting transformation in our food system, we must change our norms regarding food. Mr. Sunstein sees this as a reason for optimism! Every action that establishes a norm can have a long-term culture-changing impact that extends beyond its immediate effects. “The ripples are everywhere, and those who create them may never see them.”
When asked which nudge is most effective at getting people to eat more plants, Mr. Sunstein didn’t hesitate: “Defaults.”
Our research, amid dozens of other studies, shows that making plant-based foods the easiest option can more than triple their uptake. “What the Better Food Foundation is promoting,” Mr. Sunstein continued, “that’s the champion.”
It’s not just the effectiveness of defaults that’s exciting, it’s their scalability. The beauty of a default is that it can easily shift food orders without causing significant backlash from consumers — defaults consistently have high approval ratings among their participants in dining halls. They can even help dining locations save money and reduce their environmental impact. This is a win for consumers, a win for institutions, and, of course, a victory for animals and the environment.
To learn more about how to implement plant-based nudges in your community, join one of BFF’s free, virtual Nudge Training Sessions by signing up here.
One of the difficulties in changing diets is people’s resistance to changing their habits. Unfortunately, many programs have, intentionally or not, employed shame as a tactic to get people to change their diets. “Being scolded isn’t very enjoyable,” said Mr. Sunstein, arguing that negative emotions like shame and guilt don’t often inspire people actually to make a meaningful change. Sometimes shame even backfires, causing people to double down on their existing behaviors.
Nudges, when framed correctly, can overcome this hurdle. If we make the most sustainable and ethical option the default, most people will opt for it without any resistance. But it gets even better: not only will people select the sustainable option more frequently, but they will also feel good about having made that choice, reinforcing the positive social norm and increasing the likelihood that they’ll choose sustainable food in the future.
Messaging matters too. We should “emphasize the opportunity to act in accordance with one’s moral commitments,” Mr. Sunstein said, “rather than making people feel bad.” We need a bigger tent, so it’s our job to invite people in.”
Caring about animal suffering can sometimes feel isolating — the media underrepresents, and sometimes mocks, people who care about animals, companies that exploit and harm animals remain profitable, and the legal system provides few protections to animals, especially those raised for food. However, Mr. Sunstein believes that caring about animals is a more powerful motivator than it may initially seem.
“Since I’ve started working on animal issues more in the last eight months, I’ve been amazed to see the volume of people who also care about these issues and who don’t talk about them because they think it’s unpopular,” Mr. Sunstein explains this is called pluralistic ignorance, a phenomenon in which individuals mistakenly believe their opinions are in the minority, when the majority in fact shares them.
In reality, many people feel strongly about animal welfare and the suffering it causes. According to a poll by Sentience Institute, three in four people feel uncomfortable with the animal farming industry, while one in two would vote to ban factory farming. Furthermore, four in five people who purchase lower-welfare animal products would vote to ban products that use cruel farming practices.
If more people understand that the majority shares their concern for animals, it could embolden them to take individual and collective action to help animals, such as by changing their diets or supporting pro-animal legislation.
Does it ever feel like the victories we achieve are too small when compared to the enormity and complexity of problems like climate change? Mr. Sunstein shared a story from his service under the Obama administration: when the President’s aides expressed this kind of defeatism, President Obama would say three words: “Better is Good.”
Mr. Sunstein believes this equally applies to animal suffering. No single individual or group can alleviate all the suffering of farmed animals, but we can all help some of them. That’s a key to the success of plant-based defaults in institutions: instead of despairing that we can’t get everyone to adopt a plant-based diet, we’re instead focused on achieving the changes that are achievable right now, and opening the door for bigger changes in the future.
Because defaults are such a powerful nudge, these changes can add up significantly. When we started the plant-based defaults initiative in 2018, we were excited to get just a handful of events to try out this strategy. Today, hundreds of major institutions serving thousands of meals every day are using nudges to encourage people to try and enjoy plant-based food, resulting in millions of meals being flipped every year.
The top 5 takeaways from the recent webinar with Cass Sunstein, a renowned ‘Nudge’ author and intellectual who is a pioneer of nudge theory.
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