Giving Compass' Take:

• A study published last year examined the language on menus that describe food items, and how utilizing different adjectives to make an item sound healthier or tastier affected consumer purchase. 

• By innovating food menus, some believe they can shift what people want to order at restaurants by using the indulgent, tasty components of healthy food as the focus. What are other ways to shift the attitude for consumers? 

• Read about the health benefits of investing in an insect-based diet as a substitute for protein. 

Take two menu items: “slow-roasted caramelized zucchini bites” and “nutritious green zucchini.” Science says you’re more likely to pick the first.

That’s just some of the findings in a 2017 study that tested using different language to describe vegetables, which could be an important factor in the quest to get people to eat less meat.

The study is one of several to look at how to persuade consumers to eat more plant-based foods, either for health reasons or because of the environmental impact of the standard meat-heavy American diet. A shift to more vegetables and less meat would especially impact climate.

If everyone in the world became vegan by 2050, according to a 2016 study, food-related carbon emissions would be cut 70%. Even if everyone simply ate less meat than projected, emissions could drop nearly 30%.

Another recent study, from a London School of Economics graduate student, found that if a plant-based entree is listed in a separate vegetarian section on a menu, non-vegetarians are 56% less likely to order it than if it is listed along with other dishes. Vennard believes many of the challenges of shifting to less meat have to do with social norms; if people don’t see themselves as vegetarian, they won’t consider ordering vegetarian food.

A simple change in menu design could be one way to shift the focus toward the taste of the food instead of the health component and it would probably sell more.

Read the full article about menu innovations by Adele Peters at Fast Company