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Published on: November 1, 2019
Trayless cafeterias lead diners to take less salad and relatively more dessert
1Department of Applied Economics and Management,Cornell University,110 Warren Hall,Ithaca,NY 14853,USA.
Objective:
Many colleges are removing trays from their dining facilities in hope of reducing waste. How does not having a tray impact food choice?
Design:
A field study was conducted in a university cafeteria (n 417) on two evenings with identical menus, one with tray service and one without.
Setting:
A dining hall of a large north-eastern university, USA.
Subjects:
Undergraduate students.
Results:
Trayless dining decreased the percentage of diners (average age 19.1 years) who took salad by 65.2% but did not decrease the percentage who took dessert, leading to a markedly higher ratio of dessert to salad.
Conclusions:
Cafeterias going trayless should consider complementary policies to encourage balanced diets.
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