The study, published in the journal Appetite, also shows that in some cases people were even inclined to choose ‘greener’ meals over ‘healthier’ meals.
The study, published in the journal Appetite, also shows that in some cases people were even inclined to choose ‘greener’ meals over ‘healthier’ meals.
The researchers looked at the use of traffic lights in a simulated lunchtime canteen set up, for which the colours (red, amber, green) were designed to indicate how environmentally friendly and how healthy the meal options were.
The idea being that, when people see the traffic lights associated with different meals, they will opt for the more environmentally friendly options and the healthy options.
Previous studies have examined the impact of traffic light systems on consumer choices for individual food products, but this study considered their use in an everyday simulated lunch time set up much like the kinds of situation where people make actual meal choices.
Read more at Queen Mary University of London
