nudge to nourish

for schools

Empowering school food staff to change the way students eat

Did you know?

K-12 school food staff are INFLUENCERS.

How they serve. How they communicate. How they act. How they set up their cafeteria.

School food staff strongly influence the ‘autopilot’ decisions that students make in the cafeteria, making them a massive influencer of student health, wellbeing, focus, and performance at school.

We have an Opportunity.

We can build intentionally designed school food experiences that lead students to automatically select, eat, and enjoy food choices that nourish the body and the planet.

The lasting impact:

  • Growth in school meals participation

  • Well nourished kids, who are developing healthy food habits for life

  • Engaged and empowered school nutrition staff

  • Engaged parents and the broader community

  • A program that supports the health of the planet and district sustainability goals

How would we do that?

We can create a food environment where making nutritious food choices is easy and automatic for kids. How? We can use behavioral science to create intentional “nudges” that support the health of people, the planet, and the district.

We can design a food experience that:

  • Makes school meals delicious, convenient, and engaging, boosting meal participation

  • Influences kids’ food decisions, which ultimately establish their food behaviors

  • Outsmarts the brain to leverage autopilot decisions & natural tendency

  • Promotes healthy, sustainable eating strategies rooted in behavioral science

As a school food service operator, why does this matter?

  • Encourages Healthier Choices. Schools are embracing their role in making healthy choices easy for students. Food service companies can help students develop healthy eating habits in the long term by designing spaces that promote healthy choices.

  • Sustainability. Help progress sustainability goals by promoting food waste reduction and local, seasonal, and plant-based foods. Choice architecture can help schools reduce their environmental footprint by reducing food waste.

  • Enhances Student Wellbeing & Academic Outcomes: We help students select, consume, and enjoy nourishing foods. This is an important element that can contribute to academic success, as healthier food choices can enhance cognitive function, focus, and energy levels.

Understand

why we behave the way we do

Our Approach

Research

how the food environment impacts behavior

Distill

relevant research findings

Translate

research into actionable strategies

Share

knowledge

Want to learn more NOW?

Check out our free handout of Nudge to Nourish strategies to get you started with ideas for how to bring the program to life in your cafeteria.

Take Action

Empower your team with the knowledge, tools, and support to turn insight into impact. The Nudge to Nourish Learning Journey is grounded in long-term sustainability and workforce development, ensuring that every step creates measurable value for your staff, the students, the community, and the planet.

We offer tailored consulting to meet the needs of your district and school. We also offer ala carte services including training and resources on the following topics below.

  • Cafeteria Set-Up 101

  • Descriptive Dish Title Workshop

  • Setting up for Food Safety

  • How to Nudge - Talking Points

  • Engagement Activities for Adventurous Eaters

  • Boosting breakfast participation

  • Boosting Plant-Forward Dish Appeal

  • Nudging for Sustainability

  • Nudging to Reduce Food Waste

Sheryl Allen, MS, PhD, RD

The idea to get food choice architecture into schools started in 2022. Through my work in corporate dining supporting large tech companies, I have seen how the environment we create can drive many of our behaviors and food choices. Through intentional food spaces, we can improve the health of people and the planet. My mission is to make behavioral science research and food choice architecture strategies accessible to the audiences that can benefit the most - our youngest diners.

K-12 students are in their formative years and are developing a relationship with food that will stick with them through adulthood. This is our opportunity to expose, excite, and let them enjoy the bounty of foods that are delicious and nourishing! As a mother of 2 young kiddos and a Registered Dietitian, I’m passionate about nourishing our kids to fuel a brighter future.

We’d love to chat more.