Attractive menu names for school canteens

Published: 23 September 2013

Marketing is a tool that has been effectively used to influence consumers choice when it comes to purchasing and consuming food and beverages.  However it is rarely seen used in canteen or tuck shops.

A recent study has proven that low cost (or no cost) simple marketing techniques used in the school environment can increase healthier food choices and healthier eating. (1)

Below are some ideas on how to increase your marketing of healthier foods. Classroom involvement is also key so encourage your children to come up with there own attractive names.

The creative ideas used to increase healthier eating in this study included:

• naming and displaying names of vegetables, such as "X-ray vision carrots"
• mMoving fruit to the front counter near the cash register
• placing plain milk in the fridges before the flavoured milk
• creating a "healthy choices only" convenience line
• placing potato chips, cookies and similar items behind the lunch counter so they are available by request only
• pre-order lunches early in the day or the day before
• wmulating fast-food marketing methods, including use of clamshell packaging and logos.

Some other ideas include:

• naming grapes as alien heads
• calling smoothies monster juice
• naming broccoli as baby trees
• refering to plain milk as delicious
• and renaming the Banana toastie recipe as Monkey bread.

(1)  Wansink B, Just DR, Payne CR, Klinger MZ.  "Attractive names sustain increased vegetable intake in schools"  Prev Med.  2012 Oct; 55(4):330-2.