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I have been on an epic adventure sailing the Baltic. My trip included the Isle of Man, Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Russia, Germany and Holland. Over the next few weeks I am going to report on my findings in terms of food and activity. My sail unexpectedly ended in Brixham, Devon last week due to early UK gale force winds. Sometime soon I hope we can set off for Caernarvon via Cornwall and Lands End, weather permitting.
Healthy by Design: Sweden
A study which tracks 35 industrialised nations across the globe found that Sweden is the 6th best in terms of obesity rates, whereas the UK is the 6th worst (OECD Obesity Update 2017 https://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Obesity-Update-2017.pdf). What might contribute to this difference? In this post, I look at Sweden where the food focus is on local, healthy, freshness and taste, and opportunity for activity is in abundance. Locations visited included Stockholm, Kalmar, Gotland, Gotska Sandon, Kristianopel and the Swedish Archipelago.
So, we are all familiar with IKEA and the simplicity and beauty of Swedish design (along with meatballs!) but how is design and culture embraced in the food and activity environment?
You would think everyone would be a little more rounded with the endless supply of bakeries, or bageri as they are known, and traditional fika which is a rendezvous for coffee and cake or pastry that has been in Swedish culture since the 18th century, but not so. A feast for the eyes of sourdoughs and sesame breads, cinnamon buns and many beautifully presented pastries with local blueberries and raspberries, small tarts packed with seeds and nuts of every description.
Absent, however, are heavy doses of cream and chocolate buns coated with endless nibs of crystallised sugar, cupcakes piled high with swirls of buttercream, jam doughnuts and pasties with thick crusts of flaky pastry. Swedish pastries with icing sported a small circular amount not the vast sticky dribbling amounts like here in the UK. No big A boards parked on the pavement offering 2 for 1, or buy 2 and get the 3rd one free. An absence of advertising of burgers, pizzas and anything typically energy dense.
In terms of behavioural science one reason people are healthier here than in other EU countries is because portion sizes are smaller, ok let me correct that, let’s say ‘normal size’ compared to what we see in the UK and elsewhere. When shopping at supermarkets I noticed there is certainly less processed food available including less low-fat, sugar/fat free alternatives. In addition, from sauces to bread, from yoghurts to assembled dishes, my taste buds recognised one key missing element; foods just simply contained less sugar.
Eating out the offer is predominantly fresh local fish and vegetable-based dishes, always accompanied by lots more vegetables; especially cabbage, carrots and green beans. There was a distinct absence of chips, sometimes dishes were accompanied by a small amount of fried cubed potatoes. I tried the fresh Swedish meatballs which were delicious, and not fatty at all, again the serving was smaller at around 4 in a portion. The default accompaniment was vegetables and a small side of sauce, with unlimited water and salad always being available. It was the cultural norm to drink water and have salad with meals.
With alcohol at premium prices, and alcoholic beverages containing more than 3.5% alcohol by volume only available at Systembolaget (the government owned liquor stores which incidentally closes at 6pm every night) we did not drink much. Systembolaget exists only for one reason: to minimise alcohol related problems by selling alcohol in a responsible way without a profit motive, creating a society where everyone can enjoy alcoholic drinks with consideration to health without harming either themselves or other people.
The second obvious reason for better health is activity. There were well used and clearly defined cycling and walking routes, with both activities being the norm. There is a clear cycling infrastructure including electric bike pumps dotted about, and importantly considerate drivers, probably because they are also cyclists. Most Swedes wear a helmet or a Hövding (an airbag cycle helmet worn around the neck that inflates over your head in the event of an accident). You can get fined 1500 Kronor (about £124) if you jump a red light on your bike. Informal bike parking; you can leave your bike anywhere as long as it is not in the way. No cycling in pedestrian areas, on sidewalks or pedestrian crossings, and if there is no bike path you must cycle on the correct side of the road. All bikes must have a bell, reflectors, lights and brakes and you cannot cycle whilst drunk.
In contrast, back in Blighty walking from the station to the marina for the Southampton boat show (as most people waited for the bus!) on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, I was not passed by a single cyclist despite the obvious cycle route, which incidentally pedestrians were walking in! Say no more.
The key behavioural science learnings from Sweden:
· Everything in moderation from energy dense foods to alcohol, and reduced consumption of processed foods with longer shelf life and low nutrients.
· Freshness and taste is key, local produce, more fish and vegetable dishes and less meats.
· Portion control an absolute must.
· Great food presentation.
· Vegetables served as the norm, less starchy food like fried potatoes, and free salad.
· Free water!
· Less energy dense food promotion.
· Opportunity to engage in physical activity safely.
So, the questions raised in my mind are: is processed food having a negative impact on our health? If it says sugar/fat free, or products replaced with artificial sugars/fats, are we just eating more of it and expanding our stomachs? When we come to eat foods without this processing i.e. normal fats and sugar, do we end up eating far too much to fill our expanded stomach.
It’s clear in Southampton as a case in point, just providing cycle routes in the UK is not enough to make people use them. I am guessing the reasons are two-fold: infrastructure (whilst improving) and the attitude of UK drivers to cyclists are key in this, because it’s certainly not the weather.
You can find out more about how to apply behavioural science on our website www.feelgoodfamily.co.uk or if you are a food business and are thinking about how you can help your customers eat more healthily check out our book on our website, soon to be available in hardcopy. Follow us on Twitter @healthy_profits or Facebook @healthyprofitsfgf
Next up St Petersburg, Russia.
You want to increase sales of the healthier options in your grab and go lunch bar, but what’s the best way to do it? Tip 1 was to place healthier items in the prime location within your grab and go displays and tip 2 was to use taste suggestibility in food descriptions to make your healthier choices sound deliciously tempting.
Tip 3 of 3: Show your healthy options are popular with other customers
If your customer is trying to choose between options at your grab and go lunch counter, sharing that the majority of other customers love a particular option can be a useful shortcut to decision making. It makes it much more likely they will give that choice a go as it provides social proof and customers trust mass opinion.
Studies show that providing social proof that other people eat and enjoy feel good foods makes them more tempting. In 2017, Thomas et al. published the results of a study they conducted in three workplace restaurants in the UK and found using messaging on posters that reinforced the social norm that other customers consumed fruits and vegetables increased the take-up of these foods by 12%.
Try using a sticker with phrases on such as “customer favourite” to highlight choices at your grab and go lunch counter, which just happen to always be feel good healthy choices too. Follow us on social media to find out our next #ShapeItTopTips.
Sign up to get updates to your email inbox, follow us on Twitter @healthy_profit, Facebook @healthyprofitsfgf and on LinkedIn. Also follow us on Instagram @healthy_profits as Tracey sails around the world finding out how feel good foods are promoted overseas.
Find out even more tips in our new book, Healthy Profits, including how you can reinvigorate your food offer, use rewards and meal deals and LOTS more! Plus, by buying our book you’ll get exclusive access to useful resources like our Healthy Profits checklist, case studies, action plan templates to name just a few! Get our book here!
Thanks so much to everyone who has helped us along the way and made Healthy Profits a reality. We couldn’t have done it without you!
*Feel Good Family is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. By clicking the Amazon links to products or our ebook we will earn a small fee which will help us continue our work and help us fund the development of new resources. We will only share products we have tried or tested or think are a great idea and you would like. Thank you for your support!
References:
Salmon, S.J., De Vet, E., Adriaanse, M.A., Fennis, B.M., Veltkamp, M. and De Ridder, D.T.D. (2015). Social proof in the supermarket: Promoting healthy choices under low self-control conditions. Food Qual Prefer. 45, pp. 113-120.
Thomas, J.M., Ursell, A., Robinson, E.L., Aveyard, P., Jebb, S.A., Herman, C.P. and Higgs, S. (2017). Using a descriptive social norm to increase vegetable selection in workplace restaurant settings. Health Psychol, 36(11), pp. 1026-1033.
You want to increase sales of the healthier options in your grab and go lunch bar, but what’s the best way to do it? Tip 1 of 3 was to place healthier items in the prime location within your grab and go displays.
Tip 2 of 3: Use taste suggestibility
Although healthy food is becoming more popular, studies have shown that labelling foods as healthy doesn’t mean you will sell more of them. Turnwald and colleagues conducted a study and found that restaurants often label healthier foods with far less appealing descriptions than less healthy options. In 2016, Suher and colleagues found that if customers are told a dish is healthy they feel less full after eating it, so using a health description to promote a dish could well put people off.
As mentioned in our first tip, Thorndike’s study found that placing healthier items in prime locations within your food display and using traffic light labelling helps increase sales, but this can be strengthened by using fantastic food descriptions that tempt your customers. The customers at your grab and go lunch counter will be influenced by what catches their attention and tempts them first, so a great food description will be powerful in making your healthier options stand out.
Consider how you name and describe feel good healthy foods to make them tempting to customers, and use descriptions to set these items apart. Don’t just list the ingredients. Use suggestive text that can stimulate your customer’s interest and appetite, invoke thoughts of the flavours and textures they will experience when they eat it, and how delicious it will look. Scientists call this ‘taste suggestibility’. Turnwald and colleagues conducted another study in 2017 which showed how effective this is. Descriptions can include describing the spices, fresh herbs and other tasty ingredients; the myriad of colours and textures; and the tempting cooking techniques you use such as slow roasting, chargrilling or simmering. Take a look at our Healthy Profits book for examples of how you can use taste suggestibility in your food descriptions.
Follow us on social media to find out our next #ShapeItTopTips.
Sign up to get updates to your email inbox, follow us on Twitter @healthy_profit, Facebook @healthyprofitsfgf and on LinkedIn. Also follow us on Instagram @healthy_profits as Tracey sails around the world finding out how feel good foods are promoted overseas.
Find out even more tips in our new book, Healthy Profits, including how you can reinvigorate your food offer, use rewards and meal deals and LOTS more! Plus, by buying our book you’ll get exclusive access to useful resources like our Healthy Profits checklist, case studies, action plan templates to name just a few! Get our book here!
Thanks so much to everyone who has helped us along the way and made Healthy Profits a reality. We couldn’t have done it without you!
*Feel Good Family is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. By clicking the Amazon links to products or our ebook we will earn a small fee which will help us continue our work and help us fund the development of new resources. We will only share products we have tried or tested or think are a great idea and you would like. Thank you for your support!
References:
Suher, J., Raghunathan, R. and Hoyer, W.D. (2016). Eating healthy or feeling empty? How the “healthy = less filling” intuition influences satiety. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 1, pp. 26-40.
Thorndike, A.N., Riss, J., Sonnenberg, L.M., and Levy, D.E. (2014). Traffic-Light Labels and Choice Architecture: Promoting Healthy Food Choices. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 46(2), pp. 143-149.
Turnwald, B. P., Boles, D. Z. and Crum, A. J. (2017). Association between indulgent descriptions and vegetable consumption: Twisted carrots and dynamite beets. Journal of the American Medical Association: Internal Medicine, 77(8), pp. 1216-1218.
Turnwald, B.P., Jurafsky, D., Conner, A. and Crum, A.J. (2017). Reading between the menu lines: Are restaurants’ descriptions of “healthy” foods unappealing? Health Psychology, 36(11), pp. 1034-1037.
You’ve reduced your portion size of fries, so what’s next? How do you make sure your customers are happy and come back for more? Tip 1 of 3 was to change it up, tip 2 of 3 was to relabel your portion size descriptions.
Tip 3 of 3: Increase the perceived value
Instead of leaving your customers to focus on their portion of fries being smaller but being charged the same (which is likely to leave a sour taste in their mouth), think about how you can give them more perceived value. You want them to focus on what they are gaining, not what is being taken away.
Can you introduce an option of a sprinkle of tasty flavours that goes on their fries? A house special Cajun seasoning? Oven roasted with rosemary and garlic? A nest of fries surrounding your customer favourite homemade BBQ sauce? Or perhaps you will introduce a tasty salad with sweet peppers and vine ripened tomatoes on the plate so they don’t notice the portion of fries has decreased.
Follow us on social media to find out our next #ShapeItTopTips. Sign up to get updates to your email inbox, follow us on Twitter @healthy_profit, Facebook @healthyprofitsfgf and on LinkedIn. Also follow us on Instagram @healthy_profits as Tracey sails around the world finding out how feel good foods are promoted overseas.
Find out even more tips in our new book, Healthy Profits, including how you can use rewards, social norms, menu layout and descriptions and LOTS more! Plus, by buying our book you’ll get exclusive access to useful resources like our Healthy Profits checklist, case studies, action plan templates to name just a few! Get our book here!
Thanks so much to everyone who has helped us along the way and made Healthy Profits a reality. We couldn’t have done it without you!
(Feel Good Family is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. By clicking the Amazon link to our ebook on this page we will earn a small fee which will help us continue our work and help us fund the development of new resources. Thank you for your support!)
