Michigan Dining partnered with BITE: Building Impact Through Eating to transform East Quad Dining Hall into a research site for testing behavioral nudges toward plant-forward dining habits. The team implemented three behavioral techniques: plant-based defaults, menu ratios, and tasty titles, to understand how small shifts in choice architecture influence what students select during lunch service. The study aimed to reduce meat consumption, increase plant-forward choices, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and assess feasibility from the perspective of staff and students. Across two different dining stations, the pilot was able to generate both behavioral and sustainability impacts, such as reduced animal-protein uptake and emissions, and an increase in student and staff satisfaction. This session will share key findings, recommendations for future implementation, and Michigan Dining’s next steps for expanding plant-forward strategies across campus dining initiatives. The pilot demonstrates how small environmental changes can shape everyday decision-making. It also offers a look at how individuals navigate environments and how subtle shifts in layout and presentation can influence their choices.
