When ordering food online, the number of unhealthy food cues seems endless. Not only the food itself but also food-related words and pictorial representations stimulate unhealthy dietary behaviors. And that while eating-behavior-related disorders are only increasing in the western world. Therefore, governments started public health campaigns and educational programmes to promote healthier food choices. Nevertheless, with little success.

But why? Well, as an example, I definitely want to choose myself whether I want a healthy salad or a juicy burger. I do not want to be told explicitly what to eat and which greasy bite I should avoid. Exactly that explains why all these explicit approaches were not that effective in promoting healthy food choices. Hopefully, implicit nudging techniques have proven to be effective in changing food preferences. But do these nudges work in an online context as well?

Healthy-Top-Left Nudge also Works Online

Similar to offline contexts, when we buy food online, nudges can help us to make the right (or left) choice. Namely, we make healthier food choices when the healthy option is presented at the left.
A study was conducted where participants were presented with either menu 1 or menu 2 (Deek et al., 2022). Even though the items in both menus were similar, participants had a strong preference for menu 1. What superpower did menu 1 have? The healthy option is located to the left.

We have seen this bias before in our blog: How To Make People Prefer A Dry Salad Over A Tasty Cheeseburger. This left-side bias stems from our intuition. We like item placements on a horizontal line from left to right and from bottom to top. We categorize them. Just like we place small (left) to large (right) or light (left) and heavy (right) on this imaginary line, we connect the healthy options to the left side: resulting in a healthy left bias.
The researchers found that this healthy-top-left effect is especially present in restrained compared to unrestrained eaters. Also, it did not only work for main courses, but also desserts and even drinks! Why do especially restrained eaters stick to this healthy cue so much?

The Dieting Goal Conflict Theory: How Your Brain Follows the Healthy Cue

Especially for restrained eaters, a healthy cue can induce a goal conflict. Should you (a) admit to the hedonic goal of food enjoyment or (b) hold on to your dieting goal? Providing a healthy cue at this moment of doubt can activate your dieting goal, resulting in choosing the healthy option.

What Food Delivery Platforms Should do

This study shows how food cues and altering item placements can be effective in promoting healthier food choices. Many food delivery platforms use online ordering systems. Altering healthy-food cues and placement can therefore be an easy implementation and as healthy options are usually even more expensive, it might even give your sales a boost!

Take home points

• Explicit public health campaigns and educational programmes to promote healthier food choices have little effect
• Implicit nudging techniques have proven to be effective in changing food choice behavior
• The placement of items in a menu is important
• We make healthier food choices when the healthy option is presented at the top-left
• This healthy-top-left effect is especially present in restrained compared to unrestrained eaters, as it induces a Dieting Goal Conflict
• Food companies can easily implement this healthy nudge on their online food ordering platforms