Sodexo has expanded its DefaultVeg strategy to nearly 400 campuses serving 1 million students.
DefaultVeg is intended to encourage students to choose plant-based items using behavior nudges such as making plant-based meals the default option at stations inside dining halls.
Participating schools have two stations in their dining halls that encourage students to choose plant-based meals. The first station offers entirely plant-based options and the second alternates between offering plant-based and animal-based meals as the main offering each day.
DefaultVeg originally launched as a pilot though a partnership with Better Food Foundation and Food for Climate League. A study conducted during the pilot revealed that making plant-based meals the default option at stations encouraged more students to try them.
The foodservice provider is working towards making half of its menus on higher-ed campuses to be plant-based by 2025.