Socioeconomics of Sustainable Nutrition (SNUT)
The research group mainly works on consumer behavior related to sustainable nutrition, in particular on the interaction of food environments and decision making. The goal is to improve the understanding of food choices to promote environmentally-friendlier, healthier and socially just nutrition. This includes behavioral research nutrition and a nutrition policy perspective
Dr. Dominic Lemken
The offered courses provide a solid base to learn about consumer behaviour and the policy context of our food choices.
- Einführung in die Methoden der empirischen Forschung (BSc)
- Verbraucher- und Ernährungspolitik (BSc)
- Research Seminar in Market and Consumer Research (MSc)
- Food choice behavior and nutrition policy
- Communication in the Food Sector (MSc)
- Food marketing (MSc)
-Extended Methods of Empirical Research (Msc)
Take a look at our relevant resources:
The next Bachelor Thesis-Café will take place:
23rd October & 4th December
The research group applies psychological, economic and neuroeconomic methods. The toolbox includes advanced survey methods, state of the art willingness to pay elicitation, attention and cognitive processing methods, economic and field experiments, as well as a laboratory supermarket.

MensaPlus: healthy, sustainable and participative
SNUT, together with MAFO, is involved in this National project that intends to identify, develop and evaluate measures to promote healthy and sustainable nutrition in university canteens.

Key Food Choices and Climate Change
The project offers a behavioural economic perspective on food choices to lower consumers’ carbon footprint. It investigates default nudges in health clinic canteens and considers how they should be designed to respect consumer autonomy.

PlanetH - food environments for planetary health
The Junior Research Program investigates food environments, synthesis primary and adds experimental research. Key focus areas are school and nutrition standards, primary and secondary labeling effects, and food taxation.
Past Projects and Results
Our Thesis topics
Dr. Dominic Lemken
Room 0.003
Nußallee 21 Haus 2
Aline Simonetti
0.011
Nußallee 19
Our Research Team
Hossein Qorbaniazar
Mehmet Emir Kavukcu
Rebecca Schwibinger
A full publication list can be accessed via google scholar: Link
A few selected publications:
- W Sonntag, D Lemken, A Spiller, M Schulze (2022) Welcome to the (label) jungle? Analyzing how consumers deal with intra-sustainability label trade-offs on food, Food Quality and Preference 104, 104746
- Iweala, A Spiller, RM Nayga Jr, D Lemken (2022) Warm glow and consumers’ valuation of ethically certified productsS , Q Open 2 (2), qoac020
- Lemken, D. (2021) Options to design more ethical and still successful default nudges: a review and recommendations. Behavioral Public Policy, pp.1-33 https://doi.org/10.1017/bpp.2021.33
- Lemken D (2021) The price penalty for red meat substitutes in popular dishes and the diversity in substitution. PLOS ONE 16(6): e0252675. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252675
- Lemken, D., Zühlsdorf, A., Spiller, A. (2021) Improving Consumers’ Understanding and Use of Carbon Footprint Labels on Food: Proposal for a Climate Score Label – EuroChoices 20 (2), https://doi.org/10.1111/1746-692X.12321
Conferences attended
In SNUT we consider that one of the key challenges in Academia is the Communication and Translation of research. Therefore we encourage our team to go around the globe transmitting our discoveries and questions, enriching today's Scientific Community.
° European Asociation Agriculture Economie August 2023
° GEWISOLA Conference September 2023
° International Legume Society September 2023