A gentle nudge: Can choice architecture play a role in retailers' efforts to promote healthier choices?

Food retailers in the UK have a responsibility to look after the health of their customers. In recognition of this, they have established a number of internal and external commitments to provide access to a wider range of healthier and more sustainable foods to support the health of their customers. However, they are also presented with specific voluntary targets from Public Health England and other organisations. Meeting these targets can present technical challenges and may be costly. Alongside more traditional approaches (such as reformulation), changing customer behaviour is being explored as an additional tool to help food retailers meet their commitments by altering customers choices towards more healthy foods. Choice architecture and 'nudging' are approaches that can be adopted by retailers to encourage behaviour change in customers. In this article, we explore the theoretical uses of nudge theory in a food retail environment and discuss its potential as a tool for retailers to mitigate some of the challenges presented by other approaches, but also to identify potential pitfalls in the use of nudges. There is some evidence to suggest that nudging can be a useful method to encourage behaviour change amongst consumers and that these approaches can be relatively cost-effective and quick to implement, although they may be context-specific. These approaches are best utilised in parallel with more established methods, such as reformulation and information campaigns, due to their relatively small effect sizes. Additionally, any nudges that are implemented should be carefully considered for both their potential efficacy and the ethical implications of their enforcement and should have adequate monitoring in place to track their effectiveness.