If you’ve read my blog before, you know that I’m a big believer in small changes. A small change done consistently over time has the potential to bring about big results. In that spirit, I’m passing on to you the following article about small changes.
******************
Smarter lunchrooms lead kids to eat more salad
Laura Smith, a researcher at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, presented the findings of the study “Convenience Drives Choice in School Lunchrooms” at this week’s Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, Calif.
In a year-long study in an upstate New York middle school, researchers examined the effect of moving the salad bar to a more prominent location in the cafeteria. Results show that sales of certain salad bar items increased by 250-300%.
“It wasn’t a big move,” Smith explained. “From its original location against a wall, we moved the salad bar out about four feet, in front of the cash registers.”
“By the end of the year, this even led to 6% more kids eating school lunches,” Smith said. “It’s basic behavioral economics — we made it easier for them to make the right choice.”
Source: Physorg.com
Smith and her colleagues, Professor Brian Wansink and Professor David Just, lead the Smarter Lunchroom Initiative. The initiative focuses on low-cost and no-cost changes that can be made in lunchrooms to subtly guide smarter choices.