Post-Secondary Food Service Manager Perspectives on Fruit and Vegetable Nudging Strategies: Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background Changing the choice architecture in post-secondary food service contexts to “nudge” customers to choose more fruits and vegetables (FV) shows promise in intervention studies to date. If such approaches are to become more widely adopted, they must be feasible and acceptable to food service managers. Among possible early adopters, managers of food services in post-secondary education institutions may have unique insights on implementation of such approaches, as they have dual mandates to support student health and maintain profitability. Objective The goal of this exploratory study was to examine current knowledge, practice, facilitators and barriers to uptake of nudge strategies promoting FV in a sample of post-secondary food service managers. Methods A qualitative telephone interview study was undertaken with food service managers across Canada (n = 10 institutions), recruited from a national professional organization. One or more representatives from each institution completed the interview. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and underwent framework descriptive and interpretative content analysis in NVivo. Münscher's Taxonomy of Choice Architecture and the Ottawa Model for Research Use guided development and analysis. Results Managers from nine universities and one technical college participated. Local context, governance and resources varied widely. Eight of 10 institutions used some form of FV nudging as part of their marketing and health promotion, most commonly to reduce the effort associated with choosing FV. Nudging strategies aimed at increasing the range and composition of FV offerings, providing a social reference (opinion leaders) for choosing FV and changing consequences with loyalty cards were also common. Other nudging strategies were used infrequently. Cost, operational ease of implementation, students’ privacy and choices were critical issues in adoption. Conclusions The results can inform development and testing of locally adapted nudge interventions. It is critical that managers be involved from the outset of any planned academic implementation study.

Customer support for nudge strategies to promote fruit and vegetable intake in a university food service

“…In food service contexts, operators depend on customer support to maintain sales, and concerns about negative customer reaction were prominent in a key informant study of post-secondary food services managers’ opinions about various nudges to promote fruits and vegetables (FV) [ 3 ]. In contexts where customers do not have a choice, such as in schools or worksites, such concerns may be less prominent, but negative customer reaction can still be damaging, in terms of efficiency, reputation and willingness to experiment.…”