Interview: Why don't we eat the way we want?

Many people want to eat healthier and more sustainably, but actually doing it is a different matter. Noah Linder does research on how to design environments and offers that help people take that step.

1. Almost everyone knows they should eat more vegetables. So why don't they?
Survey studies show that a large proportion of people say they want to eat healthier and that they know how to do it. But when it comes to actually ordering or shopping, they default to their usual choices. Understanding something is not the same as changing a behavior. Food choices happen quickly based on habit, and that is where we need to step in.

2. What is nudging, really?
Nudging is about changing how choices are presented, without removing any options or using financial incentives. A classic example is setting the healthiest option as the default in an app rather than the least healthy one. Research shows that these types of changes affect what people choose, precisely because they do not require motivation or deliberate thought.

3. Which type of nudging works best?
It depends on the context. Research suggests that a single measure rarely does the job on its own. It is also about finding the right fit: an approach that works in a cafeteria may not work at all in an ordering app. That is why we run experiments in real-world settings rather than study what people say they would do.

4. How does PLATE work with behavioral experiments?
We partner with actors in the food service sector, such as a restaurant or a digital food platform, to run behavioral experiments in real situations. Together we design an intervention, for example presenting a food item differently, then test it and measure how it affects choices and what impact it has on nutritional value or environmental footprint. When required, trials are approved in advance by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority.

5. What can society do on a broader level?
Individual nudges can make a difference, but what reaches more people is structural change: what food is served in schools and workplaces, how stores are laid out, what a national food strategy includes. By testing which measures work, for whom, and under what conditions, our research can provide concrete input to those conversations.