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More Popular in the Pantry: Social Norm Signage Shifts Food Pantry Patrons to Healthier Foods
Author(s) -
Wansink Brian,
Bhana Hiershenee
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.961.10
Subject(s) - signage , advertising , norm (philosophy) , intervention (counseling) , business , psychology , environmental health , medicine , political science , nursing , law
Food pantries serve the most at‐risk communities offering a wide array of healthy foods but which are not always selected. Can social norms be used to help food pantries guide pantry clients to make healthier selections? During 2015, over a six‐month period in a New York City food pantry, the location of a healthy bean (chickpeas) were promoted as they typically are or as an American favorite, using signage reading “Americans Love Chickpeas”. Surveys about bean preferences were administered before and after the intervention period in an intervention and control pantry (n = 506). Social norm signage raised selection preference of chickpeas from 9.6% to 29.9% (p < .001) from clients who would otherwise not have selected chickpeas. In conjunction with an increase in chickpea selection was a decreased selection of other canned vegetables, mainly spinach (p = .010) and green beans (p = .016). The data were analyzed in 2016. This preliminary field study underscores two important findings: first, small, easy, no‐cost changes such as social norm signage can improve the food selections of food pantry clients. Second, selecting one healthy food may trigger people to simply make a substitute and not an addition. While part might have to do with carrying constraints (transportation costs), new research can target how to best promote healthy additions and not just substitutions.