According to CNN , restaurants have been responding to consumers’ interest in climate-conscious foods by adding more vegan and vegetarian-friendly items to their menus — and some, as in the example of Panera’s cool food meal labels , have gone as far as labeling the eco-friendly items on their menus for their own customers. Many more would like to follow in their footsteps.  

Still, without substantial research on the particular best way in order to do so, restaurant owners aren’t sure how to design their selections in a way that encourages customers to eat more sustainably. But that’s where the new study comes in.

Through the conduction of randomized clinical trials, the study’s researchers provided thousands of U. S. adults with one of three versions associated with fast food menus: One that had QR codes next in order to each item, another that had green labels identifying low-climate meals items, and lastly, one with red labels identifying the high-climate food items.  

In the end, the researchers found that the traffic light labels were not only effective in helping people identify climate-conscious food items but actually encouraged people to order chicken, fish, and vegetarian items over beef items on the particular menu. Of all the menu designs, the study proved that this red high-climate impact labels were the most effective — making customers 23% a lot more likely to order sustainable foodstuffs, per JAMA Network.