From attitudes to behaviour: evaluating science communication interventions for biodiversity in out-of-home catering settings

Biodiversity loss due to food consumption patterns poses a significant challenge to environmental sustainability. Despite the importance of promoting biodiverse food choices, there is a research gap in understanding how different science communication interventions perform in real-world contexts. To address this issue, this study employed a lab-in-real-world-contexts (LRWC) approach to co-create, test, and compare four science communication interventions—informational poster, placemat/flyer, comic-based intervention, and pennant chain—with the aim of promoting biodiverse food choices in out-of-home-catering (OOHC). Canteen staff independently implemented the interventions after optimising menus to include one biodiverse dish per day. Sales data were collected during one-week baseline and intervention periods, while guest surveys during the intervention assessed biodiversity attitudes and whether intervention materials were seen. We hypothesised that all interventions would increase sales of biodiverse dishes (H1) and that biodiversity attitudes would be higher among guests who saw the intervention materials (H2). Findings partially supported H1, with only the placemat/flyer intervention significantly increasing biodiverse dish selection, possibly due its familiar format and timing, allowing for reflection post-purchase. H2 was also partially supported, as biodiversity attitudes were higher among guests who saw the materials, with the comic-based intervention eliciting the highest attitude scores, suggesting a positive influence of the interventions. Contextual factors at the canteen level likely influenced outcomes and revealed an attitude-behaviour gap. These findings underscore the need for context-sensitive, scalable science communication strategies when promoting sustainable and biodiverse food choices, highlighting the importance of tailoring interventions to specific settings to enhance their effectiveness.