Charitable giving as a behavioural change intervention: Priming pro-environmental self-identity to elicit cognitive dissonance and promote environmentally sustainable dishes

Encouraging consumers to order plant-based dishes when dining out contributes to a more sustainable food system. Yet even environmentally conscious diners often order meat dishes because they prioritise taste and familiarity over sustainability. Grounded in identity theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and goal framing theory, this scenario-based survey experiment ( n = 786) investigates whether offering diners the opportunity to donate to an environmental charity before meal selection can activate pro-environmental self-identity and influence food choices. Results suggest that participants who chose to donate to an environmental charity are significantly more likely to select a plant-based dish and report higher pro-environmental self-identity salience. Mediation analysis reveals that pro-environmental self-identity is positively associated with the cognitive dissonance of ordering a meat dish, which, in turn, shifts goal framing: Greater dissonance is associated with increased consideration of the environmental impact of the dish (moral goal) and reduced emphasis on its taste and familiarity (hedonic and familiarity goals). These shifts are key predictors of plant-based meal selection. The donation intervention does not affect perceptions of food quality or intentions to visit the restaurant but does enhance perceptions that the restaurant supports the community. Restaurants can offset donation costs by promoting plant-based dishes with higher profit margins. These findings provide a practical and scalable strategy for foodservice providers to promote sustainable consumption and reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions.