Nudge Pantry Program

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Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice!

The Nudge Pantry Program aims to promote health and healthy eating habits by improving policies, systems, and environmental changes at food pantries. By increasing the availability of healthy food where food bank clients shop, this program increases the likelihood that our North Texas neighbors establish healthy eating habits. The healthy choice is made the easy choice!

Nudge Pantry Interest Request Form

Nudge Pantry Program

  • Make the healthy choice an easy choice - by using strategies to provide nutrition education in the food pantry setting
  • Nudges - subtle environmental changes that make healthy food more appealing and accessible to encourage better food choices
  • Outcome - Increases the distribution of healthy food in the pantry setting
  • Healthy food choices include fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, low-sodium canned vegetables, canned fruits in light syrup or 100% juice, whole grains, lean meats, beans, eggs, nuts and seeds, and low-fat dairy products. 

What Nudge Strategies Can Look Like at Your Pantry

  • Food demonstrations at the pantry, nutrition education handouts
  • Recipe cards
  • Health promotion signage and shelf tags
  • Food bundling or appearance of abundance
  • A-frame signs with nutritional messaging

Nudge Examples

Signage Shelf Tags

Neighbors are more likely to choose a particular item when they are aware of a beneficial, healthy quality.

Nudge 5

Signage Priming

Posting an appealing photo of a healthy food choice primes neighbors to choose that food when presented with the option and increases their awareness of the healthy food choice.

Nudge 6

Nutrition Classes, Cooking Demos, and Pantry Pop-Up 

Have our nutrition team join you to share more about how to make healthy, simple, budget-friendly recipes through either nutrition sessions, cooking demonstrations, or an in-pantry pop-up table for sample tastings and recipe promotion. 
 

How is this project effective?

  • It has been shown that implementing nudges increased the amount of healthy food items distributed by 56% per neighbor on average.
  • This program also increases the availability of healthy food and increases the likelihood that neighbors establish healthy eating habits. 

Resources for Nudge Pantry

Click the button below to find infographics and one-pagers that you can print and share around your pantry. These documents detail best practices to help raise awareness of the Nudge Pantry Program.

Nudge Pantry Resources