Clever Cafeteria Layout Changes Can Transform Children's Nutrition

(Oct. 26) -- Wrist-slaps, restricted options and "Big Brother"-esque monitoring systems aren't the only way to get kids eating healthier meals at school -- nor will the heavy-handed approaches prove to be the most effective alternative in the quest to push whole grains and salads over sodas and french fries.

Instead, Cornell researchers, writing in this month's Atlantic, report that tiny tweaks to cafeteria layouts can make remarkable differences in what kids opt to eat. You can see a visual mock-up of their plan at The New York Times.

Current efforts to revamp school nutrition often eliminate access to unhealthy foods entirely, replacing them with more nutritious options. Kids react, however, by skipping school lunch and getting their Twinkie fix elsewhere.

So-called "smart cafeterias" would feature low or no-cost changes in design, food presentation and layout, in an effort to tap "the natural psychology of choice" as youths consider their mealtime options.

"Food isn't nutritious until it is eaten," the team writes. "We improve school lunches by nudging children to make the right choices on their own. That way, when they take the apple instead of the cookie, it was their idea."

Those nudges include apples and oranges in attractive baskets rather than metal bins, salad bars placed strategically close to the cafeteria's checkout, or a mandate to require cash payments -- no debit cards -- for less healthy foods.

At one test school in upstate New York, kids ate 300 percent more salads after administrators simply moved the salad bar to a new location.

Imposing the changes nationwide could have a major impact: An estimated 30 million American kids and teens partake in the country's National Lunch Program, which offers free or low-cost meals to students.

Already, the study's results have caught the eye of the USDA: the federal agency has given Cornell $2 million to continue working toward healthy in-school nutrition.


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