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WEBINAR May 28: How Choice Architecture Can Promote Happier Patients and Planetary Health

Webinar

Planetary Health

Sustainable Food and Menus

How can we make sustainable, climate-friendly food the easy choice in Canadian health care institutions?

This Nourish webinar on explores the power of choice architecture and behavioural science in shaping food environments that support both planetary, patient, and staff health. Featuring insights from consumer behaviour expert Sadaf Molleai and healthcare sustainable menus champion Annie Marquez, the session will highlight and workshop practical strategies for designing menus, food displays, and dining experiences to nudge people toward healthier, low-carbon options.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how small, evidence-based interventions, such as strategic menu placement, defaults, and social norms, can drive meaningful change in institutional food. Through real-world examples and discussion, this webinar will equip health care professionals, food service and cafeteria leaders, and sustainability advocates with actionable tools to create a more sustainable and nourishing future. Participants are invited to bring a menu change idea they can workshop during the interactive section of the webinar.

Date: Wednesday May 28, 2025 12 pm-1 pm ET

Register

“Food is the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth.”

– EAT-Lancet Commission

Speakers

  • Sadaf Mollai

    Dr. Sadaf Mollaei is the Arrell Chair in the Business of Food and an Assistant Professor in the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. Dr. Mollaei also holds an Adjunct Assistant Professor position in the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Mollaei holds a PhD and MES in Sustainability Management from the University of Waterloo, and an MBA in marketing, where her research focused on the branding of food businesses. She also has over six years of managerial experience in the food service industry. Dr. Mollaei’s research focuses on promoting sustainable food systems, with a particular emphasis on sustainable eating behaviors and food businesses. She conducts both qualitative and quantitative research at the intersection of sustainability, marketing, and public health and is particularly interested in studying the promotion of sustainability through interventions and sustainable marketing, especially among critical sub-group populations such as young adults and children.

  • Annie Marquez

    Annie Marquez is a Registered Dietician who graduated in 2008 and has been the Coordinator of Food Services at the CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’ile-de-Montréal in Quebec since 2021. Previously, as manager of the harmonized menu and the CIUSSS’ informatics system, she joined Nourish’s Anchor Cohorts from 2016 to 2024. Her studies in Sustainable Development in Nutrition emphasized the importance of eco-friendly and healthy food choices. With Nourish, she created the Sustainable Menu Guide and the Hôpital Solidaire program, which provides free meals to out-patients at CIUSSS hospitals. In 2024, she completed her Masters degree, demonstrating the positive impact of the Hôpital Solidaire program on food-insecure patients. Annie now helps other institutions in making their menus more sustainable and increasing the awareness of the Hôpital Solidaire program throughout Québec.