Open Collections

Abstract

Background UBC’s Climate-Friendly Food (CFF) labels are rolling out to several locations on campus. Yet, previous field experiments with the CFF labels have shown mixed results. Therefore, this project aims to examine the impact of the CFF labels – in addition to a taste- focused promotional poster – on real food purchases at UBC’s Mercante. Methods During baseline (Dec. 14th, 2024 – Feb. 13th, 2025), no CFF labels or promotional materials were present in Mercante. On February 14th, 2025, the CFF labels were added to Mercante’s menu. Out of the ten pizza options available, nine had a red label and one (the Vegan Feature) had a green label. On March 13th, a promotional poster for the Vegan Feature was added, which framed it as “irresistibly tasty” and renamed it “Pepperoni Giardino. ” The last day of data collection was April 3rd, 2025. The main dependent variable was the proportion of Green Label (i.e., vegan) pizzas sold relative to the total pizza sales. Results Adding Climate-Friendly Food labels to the menu was not associated with an increase in the proportion of Green Label (i.e., vegan) pizzas purchased at Mercante. Adding the promotional poster was associated with an increase in purchases of the vegan pizza. Conclusion CFF labels alone may not be sufficient to increase climate-friendly food choices. Adding a promotion that highlights the tastiness of climate-friendly food and decreases the effort required to order it may be more effective. Recommendations In addition to CFF labels, establishments can highlight the tastiness of climate-friendly food options and decrease the effort required to order them. Future research should examine the isolated impacts of taste-focused promotions, effort, and CFF labels on sustainable food choices at UBC. Future studies would be strengthened with the inclusion of a control location. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”