Turning your weakness into my strength: How counter-messaging on conventional meat influences acceptance of cultured meat

A taste of cell-cultured meat: a scoping review

Cell-cultured meat (CM) is a novel meat product grown in vitro from animal cells, widely framed as equivalent to conventional meat but presented as produced in a more sustainable way. Despite its limited availability for human consumption, consumer acceptance of CM (e.g., willingness to purchase and consume) has been extensively investigated. A key but under-investigated assumption of these studies is that CM's sensory qualities are comparable to conventional, equivalent meat products. Therefore, the current review aims to clarify what is actually known about the sensory characteristics of CM and their potential impact on consumer acceptance. To this end, a structured scoping review of existing, peer-reviewed literature on the sensory evaluation of CM was conducted according to the PRISMA-ScR and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. Among the included studies (N = 26), only 5 conducted research activities that could be termed "sensory evaluation," with only 4 of those 5 studies evaluating actual CM products in some form. The remaining 21 studies based their conclusions on the sensory characteristics of CM and consequent consumer acceptance to a set of hypothetical CM products and consumption experiences, often with explicitly positive information framing. In addition, many consumer acceptance studies in the literature have the explicit goal to increase the acceptance of CM, with some authors (researchers) acting as direct CM industry affiliates; this may be a source of bias on the level of consumer acceptance toward these products. By separating what is known about CM sensory characteristics and consumer acceptance from what is merely speculated, the current review reported realistic expectations of CM's sensory characteristics within the promissory narratives of CM proponents.

Hedonic plasticity of vegan burger patty in implicit or explicit reference frame conditions

BACKGROUND

The vegan food market is one of the fastest growing markets worldwide for ethical, environmental, and health reasons. However, vegan food is still relatively unfamiliar to Korean consumers. Their liking for vegan burger patties is in the early phase of development; thus, it is necessary to place the patties in an appropriate context or 'frame'.

RESULTS

We investigated consumer (n = 269) liking for vegan patty under different frame conditions. The implicit frame condition was manipulated by evaluating a target sample along with four other vegan or meat samples. Consumers were further divided into two explicit groups that were exposed to or not exposed to a video clip on ethical food consumption before evaluating the samples. A control group evaluated the target sample only. The results showed that the implicit frame formed during the sample evaluation had a stronger influence than the explicit frame created by the video clip. Perceived familiarity with the target vegan patty drastically decreased when evaluated with other meat samples and negatively influenced the liking for it.

CONCLUSION

The findings show that the type of samples evaluated sequentially together with the target vegan burger patty within the same session had a greater effect on the target sample than the information provided explicitly. To introduce the target vegan burger patty effectively to consumers who are relatively new to the vegan food product category such as Koreans, it is suggested that the product should be positioned under the category of vegan foods rather than the category of conventional burger patties. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Is cultured meat a promising consumer alternative? Exploring key factors determining consumer's willingness to try, buy and pay a premium for cultured meat

Cultured meat is a relatively new product, enjoying consumer appreciation as a more sustainable meat option. The present study builds on a sample from a diverse set of countries and continents, including China, the US, the UK, France, Spain, Netherlands, New Zealand, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic and uses partial least square structural equation modelling. The proposed conceptual model identified key factors driving and inhibiting consumer willingness to try, buy, and pay a price premium for cultured meat. Results relate to the overall sample of 3091 respondents and two sub-sample comparisons based on gender and meat consumption behaviour. Food neophobia, having food allergies, being a locavore, and having concerns about food technology were found to be inhibiting factors towards willingness to try, buy, and pay a price premium for cultured meat. Food curiosity, meat importance, and a consumer's perception of cultured meat as a realistic alternative to regular meat were found to be important drivers that positively impacted consumers' willingness to try, buy and pay more. Best practice recommendations address issues facing marketing managers in food retail and gastronomy.

Understanding Key Factors Influencing Consumers’ Willingness to Try, Buy, and Pay a Price Premium for Mycoproteins

Mycoprotein is a fungal-based meat alternative sold in food retail in various countries around the world. The present study builds on a multi-national sample and uses partial least square structural equation modeling. The proposed conceptual model identified key factors that are driving and inhibiting consumer willingness to try, buy, and pay a price premium for mycoprotein. The results relate to the overall sample of 4088 respondents and to two subsample comparisons based on gender and meat consumption behavior. The results show that the biggest drivers of willingness to consume mycoprotein were healthiness, followed by nutritional benefits, safe to eat, and sustainability. Affordability and taste had mixed results. Willingness to consume mycoprotein was inhibited if nutritional importance was placed on meat and, to a lesser extent, if the taste, texture, and smell of meat were deemed important. Best practice recommendations address issues facing marketing managers in the food industry.

Should and will "cultured meat" become a reality in our plates?

Produced from proliferating cells in bioreactors with a controlled culture medium, "cultured meat" has been presented by its supporters, who are mainly private actors (start-ups), as a sustainable solution to meet the growing demand for animal proteins without weaknesses of animal husbandry in terms of environmental impact, animal welfare or even health. The aim of this chapter is to take stock of current knowledge on the potential benefits and pitfalls of this novel product. Since robust scientific arguments are lacking on these aspects, there is no consensus on the health and nutritional qualities of "cultured meat" for human consumption and on its potential low environmental impact. In addition, many issues related to the market, legislation, ethics and consumer perception remain to be addressed. The way in which this new product is regarded appears to be influenced by many factors related mainly to its price, as well as to the perception of safety, sensory traits but also environmental and nutritional issues. Therefore, research by universities and public research institutes indicates that "cultured meat" production does not present any major advantages in economic, nutritional, sensory, environmental, ethical or social terms compared to conventional meat. Thus, a more balanced diet by diversifying our sources of plant and animal proteins, consuming other meat substitutes, and reducing food losses and waste appear to be more effective short-term solutions to the urgent need of producing enough food for the growing human population (while reducing environmental degradation and animal suffering).