Environmental Messages Promote Plant-Based Food Choices: An Online Restaurant Menu Study

A World Resources Institute (WRI) study involving over 6,000 online participants demonstrates that specific environmental messaging on restaurant menus can significantly increase the selection of plant-rich, lower-carbon dishes.

• Food production is responsible for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the importance of shifting diets toward lower carbon foods to reduce emissions.
• The use of thoughtfully framed environmental messages on restaurant menus can significantly increase the uptake of plant-rich, lower carbon dishes. Specifically, the two most effective descriptive themes—'small changes can make a big difference' and 'join a movement of people choosing foods with less impact on the climate'—doubled the probability of a consumer ordering a vegetarian item.
• Based on an online study of more than 6,000 participants, the WRI suggests that environmental messaging is a cost-effective and easy method for food businesses to shift consumer choices toward climate-friendly options across various retail and food service contexts.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Environmental Messages Promote Plant-Based Food Choices: An Online Restaurant Menu Study. https://www.wri.org/research/environmental-messages-promote-plant-based-food-choices-online-restaurant-menu-study

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Environmental Messages Promote Plant-Based Food Choices: An Online Restaurant Menu Study. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/environmental-messages-promote-plant-based-food-choices-online-restaurant-menu-study.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Environmental Messages Promote Plant-Based Food Choices: An Online Restaurant Menu Study |url=https://www.wri.org/research/environmental-messages-promote-plant-based-food-choices-online-restaurant-menu-study |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendenvironmental, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Environmental Messages Promote Plant-Based Food Choices: An Online Restaurant Menu Study}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/environmental-messages-promote-plant-based-food-choices-online-restaurant-menu-study}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }