Opinion: Can Behavioural Science Change How A Nation Eats? Australia is About to Find Out
University of Queensland’s Dr David Fechner outlines the behavioural science project he’s working on, as part of a fellowship funded by the Australian government.
Each year, the Australian government awards 50 prestigious Early Career Industry Fellowships to support collaboration between universities and industry on some of the country’s most urgent challenges.
In 2025, I was selected as one of these Fellows, partnering with Compass Group Australia, the world’s largest foodservice provider; v2food, Australia’s leading alternative protein manufacturer; and Food Frontier, a leading think tank for alternative proteins.
The project received A$904,000 in cash funding, including A$513,000 from the Australian Government, and aims to help create a foodservice industry where the tasty, affordable, convenient, and culturally familiar choice is also the environmentally sustainable and healthy one.
The award highlights the urgent need for dietary change in Australia: on average, Australians eat around three times more meat and about 30% fewer vegetables than recommended by the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet, while consuming far fewer legumes than recommended.
“This grant is a major milestone in our commitment to environmental sustainability and will help inform our global journey to Climate Net Zero by 2050,” said Jonny Neech, general manager of marketing and engagement at Compass Group Australia
Over the next three years, the multidisciplinary team will test innovative behaviour change interventions to promote sustainable food choices across diverse dining environments, ranging from remote mining camps to major sporting events and business canteens. The project will address some of the most persistent and unanswered questions in behavioural science and sustainable food consumption.
How can we encourage men to choose plant-forward meals?
Men, on average, consume significantly more meat than women. Meat continues to play a symbolic role in traditional masculinity, and many men interpret “eat less meat” messaging as restrictive or undermining their autonomy.
When people feel their freedom to choose is being threatened, they may experience psychological reactance, a defensive emotional response marked by irritation or defiance.
This project will explore reactance-free strategies that make plant-forward meals feel like an empowered, self-directed choice. These approaches aim to support autonomy, align with masculine identities, and present plant-forward eating as a delicious choice rather than a restriction.
How do we boost acceptance of blended meat products?
Blended meat products, which combine animal and plant ingredients, offer a promising opportunity to reduce the environmental footprint of meals while maintaining taste, familiarity, and operational efficiency. Blind taste tests show that consumers rate blended products as highly palatable.
However, once diners learn that a product is “blended,” perceived taste and demand can drop. The project will identify menu design strategies to overcome this drop-off and give foodservice providers confidence to introduce blended products.
“We’re excited to be part of a project that brings together a multidisciplinary team—from behavioural science and marketing to culinary arts, nutrition, and food science—to accelerate the shift towards sustainable eating,” said Tim York, CEO of v2food.
How can we stack multiple behavioural change interventions?
Most food choice interventions deliver only modest effects when used in isolation. For example, environmental labels are among the most widely tested interventions, yet often fail to meaningfully shift choices, potentially because they are unable to disrupt deeply ingrained meat ordering habits.
This raises a key question: Could combining interventions, such as pairing labels with habit-breaking strategies, produce stronger change?
Stacking interventions is complex and rarely feasible in traditional research settings. But Compass Group Australia’s extensive network of dining venues offers a unique real-world laboratory to systematically test how combinations of menu design, pricing, and information-based intervention interact.
Creating a playbook for the industry
As effective strategies emerge, the team will develop a publicly accessible evidence-based playbook to help the foodservice sector adopt proven approaches. This guide will include step-by-step implementation instructions, case studies, and practical insights for operators.
“The practical, applicable insights this project will deliver – helping providers make it easier for Australians to choose more plant-based foods, more often – is exactly what the foodservice sector needs,” said David Bucca, interim executive chair at Food Frontier.
This national project is set to become one of the world’s most ambitious real-world experiments in shifting how a nation eats. If successful, it could serve as a global model for how behavioural science and industry partnership can accelerate the transition to healthier, lower-emission diets, one plate at a time.