AI can nudge you into eating greener

If you use Netflix, Spotify, or TikTok, you are familiar with the recommendation algorithms, which, based on your preferences and previous behavior, suggest what to watch or listen to next. For the companies behind these services, it is a brilliant way to keep people engaged for longer, thereby increasing profits.

But what if something similar could be created for grocery consumption in Denmark—not to increase profits, but to encourage more sustainable shopping habits?

This is the idea behind the research project Nudge2Green.Researchers in software engineering, behavioral psychology, and sustainability from University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Aarhus University (AU), and University of Copenhagen (KU)  are collaborating with the Food Organization of Denmark and the company Heco et al to develop artificial intelligence that can nudge consumers to choose healthier and more sustainable foods when shopping online.

- We aim to demonstrate that artificial intelligence can be utilized for more than just selling more products. It can also benefit society by encouraging us all to choose greener and healthier foods in the supermarket. Not through coercion or force, but through gentle nudges, recommendations, and information, says Mahyar T. Moghaddam, associate professor in software engineering at the University of Southern Denmark and project lead.

Personal recommendations

The project is based on the Optius.app, developed by Heco et al, which is already widely used and helps users gain an overview of their grocery consumption. The idea is to further develop the app so that, using data about the individual user and the products, it can shift consumption in a greener direction.

- The future lies in effortlessly turning your own e-receipts into smarter decisions, and that’s exactly what we’re building with Optius.app, says Benjamin Heco, Managing Partner at Heco et al.

For example, the app should be able to suggest alternatives to high-emission foods such as meat and dairy products, or unhealthy and ultra-processed foods, based on your personal preferences. It could also use labels, reminders, or pop-up windows to draw attention to the climate impact and health effects of different foods.

- The major task is, first and foremost, to collect a large amount of data. There is currently no comprehensive database of food products and their climate footprint, nutritional value, and content of harmful chemicals, so we need to create this ourselves. Then we need to pilot the application and gather data on which types of nudging work best, says Mahyar T. Moghaddam.

New possibilities

It will be the researchers from SDU, in collaboration with Heco et al, who are responsible for developing the core algorithm that will drive the AI-based nudging system.

The researchers at Aarhus University (AU), on the other hand, are designing the project's nudging strategies, drawing on the most recent behavioural science.

- Food shopping is changing as consumers use more channels, and more digital shopping aids are becoming available. This gives us new possibilities for nudging consumers to make more sustainable choices. In the Nudge2Green project, we will develop and test a tool to encourage sustainable choices that is state-of-the-art and based on a thorough understanding of consumer food choice, says professor Klaus G. Grunert from Aarhus University.

At the University of Copenhagen (KU), the researchers will be conducting life cycle assessments to provide comprehensive data on the environmental impact of food products.

- We will contribute with life cycle assessments of food products, supporting efforts to nudge consumers towards more sustainable food choices, says Marianne Thomsen, professor of Sustainability Assessment at the University of Copenhagen.

On the industry side, the Food Organization of Denmark will help ensure that the project’s outputs are translated into actionable insights for companies within the Danish food industry.

- Many food companies are generally interested in working with health and sustainability. But they need solid, well-tested methods to ensure sales if they are to make real progress. We look forward to contributing knowledge to the Danish food industry that delivers results, says Gyda Marie Bay, Manager of Sustainable and Healthy Food at the Food Organization of Denmark.

The project will run for the next two years (2025-2027) and is supported by the AgriFoodTure Partnership, funded by Innovation Fund Denmark and the EU.