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Show me the labels : Using pre-nudges to reduce calorie information avoidance

Capitán, Tabaré ; Thunström, Linda ; van ’t Veld, Klaas ; Nordström, Jonas LU and Shogren, Jason F. (2026) In Journal of Risk and Uncertainty
Abstract

Calorie labeling is a popular policy to address the obesity epidemic, but it has had little empirical success. Under the premise that willful avoidance of information plays a role in this result, we propose a novel approach—pre-nudges—to make consumers more receptive to calorie information. Unlike nudges, which are used to directly influence a choice, pre-nudges are used to directly influence how consumers react to the nudge itself (the calorie label). In line with predictions from our theoretical analysis, we test two pre-nudges in the context of menu labeling: one aims to increase self-efficacy, and the other one highlights the long-term health risks of overeating. In a large-scale laboratory experiment, we find that both pre-nudges... (More)

Calorie labeling is a popular policy to address the obesity epidemic, but it has had little empirical success. Under the premise that willful avoidance of information plays a role in this result, we propose a novel approach—pre-nudges—to make consumers more receptive to calorie information. Unlike nudges, which are used to directly influence a choice, pre-nudges are used to directly influence how consumers react to the nudge itself (the calorie label). In line with predictions from our theoretical analysis, we test two pre-nudges in the context of menu labeling: one aims to increase self-efficacy, and the other one highlights the long-term health risks of overeating. In a large-scale laboratory experiment, we find that both pre-nudges reduce calorie information avoidance. Overall, our paper suggests a possible role for pre-nudges in addressing the obesity epidemic—one of the largest public health issues globally—and illustrates the potential usefulness of pre-nudges more generally.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
Calorie information, Information avoidance, Nudge, Pre-nudge, Information, calorie information, Information avoidance, Nudge, Pre-nudge
in
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:105027546225
ISSN
0895-5646
DOI
10.1007/s11166-025-09471-9
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2026.
id
8dd2f8bc-2fe1-4f75-8e38-fdf0d22dd818
date added to LUP
2026-02-03 09:46:02
date last changed
2026-02-04 08:44:57
@article{8dd2f8bc-2fe1-4f75-8e38-fdf0d22dd818,
  abstract     = {{<p>Calorie labeling is a popular policy to address the obesity epidemic, but it has had little empirical success. Under the premise that willful avoidance of information plays a role in this result, we propose a novel approach—pre-nudges—to make consumers more receptive to calorie information. Unlike nudges, which are used to directly influence a choice, pre-nudges are used to directly influence how consumers react to the nudge itself (the calorie label). In line with predictions from our theoretical analysis, we test two pre-nudges in the context of menu labeling: one aims to increase self-efficacy, and the other one highlights the long-term health risks of overeating. In a large-scale laboratory experiment, we find that both pre-nudges reduce calorie information avoidance. Overall, our paper suggests a possible role for pre-nudges in addressing the obesity epidemic—one of the largest public health issues globally—and illustrates the potential usefulness of pre-nudges more generally.</p>}},
  author       = {{Capitán, Tabaré and Thunström, Linda and van ’t Veld, Klaas and Nordström, Jonas and Shogren, Jason F.}},
  issn         = {{0895-5646}},
  keywords     = {{Calorie information; Information avoidance; Nudge; Pre-nudge; Information; calorie information; Information avoidance; Nudge; Pre-nudge}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Risk and Uncertainty}},
  title        = {{Show me the labels : Using pre-nudges to reduce calorie information avoidance}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11166-025-09471-9}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11166-025-09471-9}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}