Behavioral Economics in the School Lunchroom: Can it Affect Food Supplier Decisions? A Systematic Review

A systematic review was conducted to provide a comprehensive overview on the emerging success of applying behavioral economics tools to promote healthy food choice decisions in school lunchrooms. This paper summarizes the current knowledge on the topic and facilitates meeting the recommendations of the White House Task Force on Obesity, and the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Further, the paper contributes to the White House Task Force’s appeal on comprehensive research that target both consumers and producers. It extends the literature to assess evidence if food supplier decisions have been affected. This review suggests that there is an emerging best practice in applying choice architecture and nudging in school lunchroom that improves food choice. However, this information does not appear to have been utilized extensively in food supplier decisions. There is a need for research to include food supplier decisions in promoting healthy food choice