When Nutrition Policy Meets Behavioural Sciences. Regulating-by-Nudging in the Innovation Union

This contribution deals with the empirically-grounded, designed-based strategies known as “nudge” in their application to the nutrition field. Though relevant and valuable for several aspects, the European turn to regulation-by-nudging faces some regulatory (how behavioural-based modes of action operate) and epistemological (how behavioural-inspired tools were designed) tensions in coping with individual autonomy and human dignity (in the sense of self-respect). To face these issues, the insightful concepts of “peer-production of knowledge” and “proceduralization of law” may provide a solid and fertile basis for European experimental collaboration and learning in addressing nutrition-related health issues.