Influence of environmental stimuli on sustainable food choices: the moderating role of AI-source disclosure

Reducing meat consumption is necessary for public health and environmental sustainability. However, while the benefits of positively-valenced nature have been explored, the comparative behavioral effects and mediational patterns of positively-valenced and negatively-valenced environmental stimuli remain unclear. Across three studies, we examined how positively- and negatively-valenced environmental stimuli influence food choices. Study 1 showed that both types of environmental stimuli reduced meat-heavy meal choices compared to the control. Study 2 tested serial mediation models within a dual-system framework, and the results showed that positively-valenced stimuli were associated with stronger nature connectedness and greater consideration of future consequences (CFC), whereas negatively-valenced stimuli were associated with higher guilt and greater CFC. Study 3 manipulated AI-source disclosure for the environmental stimuli. Although AI-source disclosure did not significantly interact with environmental stimuli condition in predicting meat-heavy choices, it significantly attenuated the link between negatively-valenced stimuli and guilt, but did not attenuate the association between positively-valenced stimuli and nature connectedness. Collectively, these findings suggest that the environmental stimuli valence may be associated with food choices through two partially overlapping yet distinguishable psychological pathways, offering insights for nudging sustainable eating.