Last April and May I spent two months as a visiting scholar at the Department of Marketing and Consumer Research, Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Freising, Germany.
I conducted a research study on finding strategies to motivate consumers to make a food choice that could boost sustainability and improve their health at the same time is crucial. Literature suggested that nudging could be effective in increasing the consumption of healthy and sustainable food. This work is focusing in determining the effects of different nudges on university students’ choices of food in the context of an online pre-ordering web/app of the university canteens. We conducted an experimental study with a between-subject design to test the effect of nudging interventions on students’ food selection. The design comprises one control and three treatment groups (Healthy and Sustainable Logo, Dish Placement, and combination of the Logo and Dish Placement). The first preliminary results will be presented at the 11th AIEAA Conference "CAP, Farm to Fork and Green Deal: policy coherence, governance and future challenges" in Viterbo next 16-17 of June.
This project has been done in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Jutta Roosen who heads the department of Marketing and Consumer Research. Her research focuses on the study of consumer behavior and demand analysis with an interest in cognitive aspects of perception and cultural influences on behavior. Her work often deals with questions of food quality and safety, nutrition and health behavior as well as sustainable consumption of energy and food.
This experience opened also the possibility for future collaboration could include lecture and research invitations for Dr. Jutta Roosen to the University of Parma, international grant proposals, and student/researcher mobility programmes.
I'd like to thank the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) which provided me with the Scholarship Research Stay for Scientists; as well as all the research staff I met at TUM during the past weeks during work-related and social activities.
