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Trigger Foods: The Influence of “Irrelevant” Alternatives in School Lunchrooms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

Andrew S. Hanks ,
David R. Just  and
Brian Wansink
Andrew S. Hanks
Affiliation:
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York
David R. Just
Affiliation:
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs Cornell University
Brian Wansink
Affiliation:
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Research, Cornell University
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Abstract

Rational choice theory commonly assumes that the presence of unselected choices cannot impact which among the remaining choices is selected—often referred to as “independence of irrelevant alternatives.” We show that such seemingly irrelevant alternatives influence choice in a school lunch setting. In these lunchrooms, we provide evidence that the presence of specific side dishes—trigger foods—can strongly increase the sales of unhealthy à la carte options, even when the trigger foods are not selected. This behavioral anomaly can be exploited to lead children to healthier choices. We also offer a method that can be used to identify such foods.

Keywords

independence of irrelevant alternativeslinear probability modelchild nutrition programsfood selectionà la carte item
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , Volume 41 , Issue 1 , April 2012 , pp. 114 - 123
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

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