#FoodFri Recap: Top Tactics for Nudging Kids Toward Healthier Foods at School

Posted by Bag The Junk on September 17, 2013

Last Friday, September 13, Bag the Junk project director Lisa Creighton was the guest host of MomsRising’s weekly #FoodFri Twitter chat. We were thrilled at the number of healthy school food advocates who participated in our discussion on how schools can encourage students to make healthier food choices during the school day! Since kids consume 35-50% of their calories at school, educators and school staff have a great opportunity to “nudge” students toward healthier choices so those calories come from nutritious foods and beverages. Nudges, or cues that influence behavior, can help kids think and choose healthier food options at school.

During the Twitter chat we examined four categories of “nudging” tactics –promotion, placement, products and pricing. In case you missed the chat, below is a recap of the top tips and our favorite insights contributed by #FoodFri participants.

PROMOTION NUDGES

Find out teachers and staff members favorite foods and serve them on the cafeteria line. Students might try string beans if they are labeled as Mrs. K’s #1 veggie.
Tape large green arrows on the floor to point kids toward healthy options, like a salad bar or fruit smoothie station.
Invite a local celebrity (chef, athlete, mayor, etc) to work the cafeteria line to increase interest in healthy food options.
Create snack idea signs that can be posted next to a la carte items; for example, celery + nut butter + raisins = ants on a log.
Display colorful food group posters around school. Check out free poster templates from MyPlate: http://1.usa.gov/yjj46f
Enlist student groups to create a marketing campaign to promote healthy foods sold at school.

PLACEMENT NUDGES

Put healthy items at the start AND end of the cafeteria line. Studies show items in these two places are chosen more.
Take advantage of people’s tendency to impulse buy; place whole fruit in attractive bowls next to the register.
Sprinkle healthy items throughout the cafeteria line, instead of grouping them in one spot. Repetitive exposure helps boost sales.
Put less healthy food in opaque displays out of sight, like ice cream in a cooler with a closed top.
Entice hungry kids with veggies first. Make the salad bar the first station near the cafeteria entrance.
Products at eye level sell best. Place water in the top and middle of the cooler and sugary drinks at the bottom out of view.

PRODUCT NUDGES

Make healthy fruit and veggie offerings the default side dish and make less healthy items available only by request.
Conduct taste tests in the cafeteria during lunchtime; students may be willing to choose a new dish if they try a bite first.
Hold a taste test event once a year where parents and students can ”pre-approve” menu and snack items.
Survey students about their favorite meals and snacks and see if they can be re-created in the cafeteria.
Start a school garden so kids can learn where their fruits and veggies come from. (Here are some tips to get growing: http://bit.ly/13RpnUg)
Bag the bake sale in favor of healthier fundraisers like selling “cutie” oranges on Valentine’s Day. http://bit.ly/13LpGmy
Hold a school-wide competition for students to come up with nutritious smoothie flavors. http://on.fb.me/1eF0i6Q
Replace junk snacks with healthier nutritious options. Here are some ideas of what to take out and what to swap in: http://bit.ly/1cw7Rf0
Incorporate healthy foods into familiar dishes like serving turkey hot dogs on whole-wheat buns. http://bit.ly/14rXvq2

PRICING NUDGES

Reduce the price of healthy items. Research shows that this won’t significantly affect overall school revenue. http://bit.ly/UKb42w
Raise the price of less healthy options to entice students to buy healthier.

Do you have other ideas of ways to get kids excited about healthy meals and snacks? Tweet us @BagtheJunk or write on our Facebook wall.

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