The amount of sugar consumed in hot drinks sold via vending machines in Trento, Italy, reduced by almost one third in a successful experiment carried out by the Provincial Agency for Health Services in Trento (APSS). Simply reducing the default amount of sugar added by the machine from 3 scoops (out of a possible of 5) to 0 resulted in a 29% decrease in the amount of sugar people consumed.
Inspired by behavioural and cultural insights into what influences people’s health-related choices, the experiment required those who wished to add sugar to their drinks to do so manually. This simple change saw an average reduction in the amount of sugar dispensed from 3.75 g per hot drink to 2.67 g.
The change to the machines’ default setting was introduced in 2021 to improve the nutritional quality of food and beverages sold in the APSS vending machines. During the trial period (October and November 2021) 272 kg less sugar was dispensed than during the same period in the previous year.
A small action with a remarkable outcome
The nudge theory, developed over 10 years ago by Richard Thaler, economist at the University of Chicago, and Cass Sunstein, jurist at Harvard Law School, leverages mechanisms that influence people’s choices. In this example the choice architecture was altered through a gentle nudge towards a healthier choice.
Changing the choice architecture does not equate to limiting freedom of choice: people have the same options – it is merely the default that changes. Using choice architecture in health promotion allows the encouragement of citizens to make healthy choices and adopt healthy behaviours, which can be strengthened over time.