Overview
- A University of Oxford randomized trial in six English workplace cafeterias found that replacing one meat lunch with a vegetarian option increased vegetarian selections by 41%.
- Managers kept prices and all other menu features the same, did not tell customers, and left other meat dishes available.
- Meals chosen during the trial averaged about 26 fewer calories and contained less saturated fat and salt.
- The change reduced the average greenhouse-gas footprint per meal by about 8.5%.
- Sales, revenue, and food waste did not worsen, and staff and customer feedback suggested the shift was easy to accept, with researchers now seeking partners to test scale-up and inform workplace food policies.