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NCT Number: NCT05854212

Behavioral Economics to Implement Nutrition Ranking in Food Pantries

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test whether using behavioral economic strategies to promote healthy food choices on a food bank's online ordering platform increases the use of the traffic light nutrition ranking system and increases healthier food selections by the food agencies (e.g., food pantries) who use the food bank.

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Key information

Conditions

Food Insecurity Behavioral Economics Dietary Quality Implementation Science

Age range

18 year–90 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

About this study

This study will use behavioral economic strategies to promote utilization of traffic-light nutrition ranking in the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) order system to improve the dietary quality of food ordered by GBFB agencies. Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) is a program to guide both traffic light labeling for use on ordering platforms and pantry shelves, as well as food pantry layout to inform clients and encourage healthy food choice.This study is a collaboration with the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) to test BE strategies (choice architecture, framing, social norms) for implementation of an evidence-based intervention (traffic light nutrition ranking, SWAP). We will determine if behavioral economic interventions on the GBFB online ordering platform increase agencies' use of traffic light nutrition labels when placing orders and increases their healthy food orders. We will conduct a 12-month randomized controlled trial comparing agencies' ordering experiences and outcomes with the current user interface (control) to a "SWAP-enhanced" user interface (intervention). All GBFB partner agencies will be randomized to see either the control or intervention interfaces when they log on to ShopGBFB, GBFB's online food ordering platform. In addition, intervention group agencies will receive monthly emails from GBFB about SWAP labeling, such as why common items receive certain rankings (e.g., canned green beans will have a yellow label if there is added sodium) and common misunderstandings people have about SWAP labels (e.g., explaining why all chicken items do not get the same SWAP ranking). At the end of 12 months, agency staff will complete a survey about their online ordering experiences at GBFB. In the next phase, the SWAP-enhanced ShopGBFB interface will be updated, adapted, and implemented for all 364 agencies that place orders. Agency ordering outcomes will be monitored for 12 additional months.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Food agencies that order food from the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) online ordering platform.

Exclusion criteria

  • Food agencies that do not order food from the GBFB online platform within 2 months of the start of the study.

Treatment and study plan

Behavioral economics-enhanced user interface

Behavioral

The intervention changes the ordering platform visible to food agencies using behavioral economics strategies to promote healthier food choices.

Primary outcomes

  1. Healthy food agency orders from the food bank

    Time frame: 12 months

    This will be the change from baseline to 12 months in the percentage of foods ordered (by weight) that have green labels.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion of agencies that ever used the traffic light label sorting or filtering when ordering from the food bank

    Time frame: 12 months

    This outcome will be the proportion of agencies in the intervention vs. control group that report using the traffic-light sorting/filtering when making orders during the 12 month intervention period.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Anne Thorndike, MD, MPH

CONTACT

[email protected]

617-724-4608

Douglas Levy, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

617-643-3595

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Behavioral Economics to Implement a Traffic Light Nutrition Ranking System in a Network of Food Pantries

Important dates

Study start
2027
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
May 11, 2023
Registry last updated
Feb 2, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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