Testing the effects of availability and ecolabels on the environmental impact of food purchases in worksite cafeterias
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN10268258 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10268258 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | 205212/Z/16/Z |
- Submission date
- 30/12/2021
- Registration date
- 06/01/2022
- Last edited
- 14/01/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Food consumption can have significant environmental impacts. Previous studies have shown that both eco-labels and the relative availability of meat-free options can influence the food products people select. However, most of these studies have been conducted in online experimental settings, while those in real-world contexts often involved a narrow range of customers (e.g. university staff and students). This study aims to test the effect on environmental impacts of food when (a) eco-labels are added and (b) the availability of meat-free options is increased in a range of worksite cafeterias.
Who can participate?
Great Britain-based worksites that have electronic point-of-sale tills, are catered by the researchers' foodservice partner, and are able to provide data at a detailed enough level to identify specific meals sold.
What does the study involve?
The main study involves either displaying eco-labels on cafeteria menus for hot meal foods or offering increased meat-free options, compared to making no changes. To test the effectiveness of these interventions, 90 worksite cafeterias will be randomly allocated to one of three groups for a 12-week study. One group will start with no changes (no eco-labels and no increased meat-free availability), another group will start with only eco-labels, and the last group will start with only increased availability. After 4 weeks, all sites will include increased meat-free options, and in the last 4 weeks, all sites will have eco-labels added to products. The researchers will use the sales data recorded from the worksite cafeterias’ tills to examine whether the environmental impact of purchases change when the eco-labels are displayed or the availability of meat-free options increases.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There are no foreseeable risks in taking part. Similarly, there are no specific benefits to individuals taking part. The participating caterer will gain insights into whether ecolabels and offering increased meat-free options influence consumer behaviour, which may inform their sustainability strategy.
Where is the study run from?
The University of Oxford (UK) is running the study in collaboration with a foodservice partner company.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
November 2021 to April 2022
Who is funding the study?
This research is funded by the Wellcome Trust (UK): Our Planet Our Health (Livestock, Environment and People - LEAP), award number 205212/Z/16/Z; Royal Society and Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale fellowship 222566/Z/21/Z.
Who is the main contact?
Dr Rachel Pechey
rachel.pechey@phc.ox.ac.uk
Contact information
Principal Investigator
University Of Oxford
The Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
Woodstock Road
Oxford
OX2 6GG
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-6558-388X |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)1865 617855 |
| rachel.pechey@phc.ox.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Interventional randomized controlled trial for a period of 4 weeks; then natural experiment as interventions are introduced across all sites in a stepwise manner during weeks 4-12 |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | No participant information sheet available |
| Scientific title | Testing the effects of availability and ecolabels on the environmental impact of food purchases in worksite cafeterias: a randomised controlled trial |
| Study hypothesis | 1. Ecolabels will decrease the environmental impact of food purchased in worksite cafeterias 2. Increased availability of plant-based options will decrease the environmental impact of food purchased in worksite cafeterias |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 05/01/2022, Central University Research Ethics Committee, University of Oxford (Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JD, UK; +44 (0)1865 616577; ethics@medsci.ox.ac.uk), ref: R72710/RE004 |
| Condition | Improving diet sustainability |
| Intervention | Worksite cafeterias will be allocated according to stratified randomisation (based on mean transactions per day) to one of three conditions initially: Control (no increased meat-free availability or ecolabels); Ecolabels only; Increased Availability Only for a period of 4 weeks. As the catering provider is planning to introduce both increased meat-free availability and ecolabels across all sites, these interventions will then be introduced in the sites in which they were absent during the 4-week randomised controlled trial in a stepwise manner. Following this initial 4-week period, meat-free availability will be increased across all sites, and then ecolabels will be introduced in the remaining sites after 8 weeks, so that all sites will have both ecolabels and increased meat-free availability in the final 4-week period. In the ecolabel condition, labels indicating the relative environmental impact of food options (in the form of a grade from ‘A’ to E’, displayed on a colour-coded globe logo) will be placed on main meals and other hot menu options. In the increased plant-based options condition, the proportion of main meal options (relative to the previous menu cycle) that do not contain meat or fish will be increased. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Environmental impact of purchases, measured by the mean environmental impact score (taken across standardised values for the four environmental indicators listed below) for purchased products from hot meal categories in each worksite cafeteria for the period of interest. The outcome will be calculated from sales data, recorded via electronic point-of-sale tills throughout the 12 weeks of the study, combined with data on the environmental impact of each food option. |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Total energy (kcal) purchased from hot meal categories in each worksite cafeteria, calculated from sales data recorded via electronic point-of-sale tills throughout the 12 weeks of the study, combined with data on the energy content of each food option. 2. Nutrient content (total fat [% energy purchased], saturated fat [% energy purchased], protein [% energy purchased], and fibre [g/100g]) of purchases from hot meal categories in each worksite cafeteria throughout the 12 weeks of the study – if possible to obtain nutrient data. 3. Total weekly revenue (£GBP) from each cafeteria, based on sales data recorded via electronic point-of-sale tills throughout the 12 weeks of the study 4. Total number of transactions per week in each cafeteria, based on sales data recorded via electronic point-of-sale tills throughout the 12 weeks of the study |
| Overall study start date | 01/11/2021 |
| Overall study end date | 30/04/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 90 |
| Total final enrolment | 96 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | UK-based worksite cafeterias that: 1. Have electronic point-of-sale tills operated by the researchers' foodservice partner 2. Are able to provide data at a detailed enough level to identify specific meals sold 3. Have a minimum of 50 transactions/day at baseline |
| Participant exclusion criteria | Not offering main meal options |
| Recruitment start date | 10/01/2022 |
| Recruitment end date | 23/01/2022 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
Woodstock Road
Oxford
OX2 6GG
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Radcliffe Primary Care Building
Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
Woodstock Rd
Oxford
OX2 6GG
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)1865 616575 |
|---|---|
| ethics@medsci.ox.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.ox.ac.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/052gg0110 |
Funders
Funder type
Research organisation
Private sector organisation / Trusts, charities, foundations (both public and private)
- Alternative name(s)
- Wellcome, WT
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/12/2022 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The results of this research will be written up and submitted to a peer-reviewed, open-access journal and presented at professional research conferences. The researchers will also prepare a lay summary and/or infographic. The catering company involved in recruitment may disseminate results to their staff and/or customers using these materials or a similar simplified format. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not expected to be made available due to confidentiality. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol file | 06/01/2022 | No | No | ||
| Results article | 11/01/2025 | 14/01/2025 | Yes | No |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
14/01/2025: Publication reference and total final enrolment were added.
06/01/2022: Trial's existence confirmed by University of Oxford
