Search results

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the attitudes of meat consumers in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, concerning cultured meat. This State is characterized by its strong cultural identity and social practices, barbecue being its typical dish.

The authors applied a cross-sectional survey with meat consumers residing in Porto Alegre/RS, the sample of which, composed of 538 individuals, expressed the population heterogeneity. The data were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square, Cramer's V, and correspondence analysis.

The results demonstrate that although six of ten people were willing to try cultured meat, only four of them responded positively to the willingness to consume it over conventional meat. Young individuals demonstrated a favorable attitude towards the product, expressing a greater propensity both to try it and to include it in the diet regularly. However, the rejection of cultured meat gradually intensified after 40 years old. The previous knowledge and familiarity with the investigated subject are not predictive of the intention of experimentation so that almost two-thirds of the individuals who did not know the product were positively willing to try it.

Despite the recent intensification of studies about consumer behavior towards cultured meat, its analysis in a context in which meat historically plays a fundamental role in socioeconomic development is still little explored. The originality of our research is circumscribed by the understanding of the behavior of meat consumers, members of a culture where it plays a central role.

The purpose of this paper is to perform a comparative analysis on the attitudes of rural and urban Irish consumers towards cultured meat.

A mixed methods exploratory sequential design was used. This involved collecting qualitative data first, through group interviews, and using the results of these to design the questionnaires for the quantitative data collection, which was analysed using SPSS 24.0 ®.

Urban consumers were more receptive towards cultured meat and more concerned about the environmental impact of current meat production practices. Rural consumers were more concerned about the possible damaging effect cultured meat production could have on agri-business and the livelihood of Irish farmers. The safety of the technology emerged as the biggest concern for both sets of consumers.

The sample size used for the qualitative research resulted in a 95% confidence level and a confidence interval of 5.55. A larger sample number would give a tighter confidence interval and a more accurate representation of consumers’ attitudes.

This research could give guidance to food companies of how to market cultured meat products towards Irish consumers based on their concerns and their perceived benefits of the technology.

This research added to previous research performed in Ireland showing that urban consumers are more receptive towards new food technologies than their rural counterparts.

This is the first paper comparing the attitudes of rural and urban Irish consumers towards cultured meat and adds to the literature on this emerging subject area.

Plant-based eggs have recently been developed to provide consumers with a healthier, animal-friendlier and more sustainable alternative to conventional eggs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate intrinsic and extrinsic attribute preferences for three prototypes of plant-based egg, namely the liquid, powder and egg-shaped.

Nine focus groups in the United Kingdom and nine in Italy were conducted, with a total of 180 participants. A thematic analysis of results was conducted.

In terms of intrinsic product attributes, consumers' preferences for colour, shape, taste, ingredients, nutrients, method of production and shelf-life for plant-based eggs were revealed. Regarding the extrinsic attributes, preferences for price, packaging, country of origin and product naming emerged. Similarities and differences between consumers from the two countries are also discussed. Differences in preferences also emerged between vegan and non-vegan consumers.

This study adds to the existing knowledge on consumers' preferences for new plant-based food alternatives and identifies future quantitative approaches based on qualitative findings.

Results from this study can assist plant-based egg manufacturers in improving their products in line with consumers' expectations, which may help reducing risk of product failure.

This study is the first to investigate consumers' preferences, expectations and needs for new food products like plant-based eggs and provides information that can be practically applied by manufacturers, as well as suggestions for future research.

The widespread dietary adoption of cultured meat could provide important benefits to animal welfare, the environment, food safety and security. This study examines consumer segmentation and consumer motives for choice of cultured meat in China.

The data were collected by means of a web-based questionnaire (n = 608) distributed in the two cites of Shanghai and Chengdu. Factor analysis, cluster analysis and path analysis were employed for data analysis.

Three consumer segments were identified with regard to the acceptance of cultured meat in China: Conservatives (25.7%), Acceptors (41.9%) and Pioneers (32.4%). Significant differences were recognised in age, household income, education and household size between the three consumer segments. The following meat choice motives (MCMs) have significant influences on Chinese participants’ attitudes and/or purchase intentions towards cultured meat: usually eat, environmental concern, societal concern, mood, purchase convenience and price.

This is the first study to develop a factorial construct of MCMs based on a previous theoretical model of food choice motives (FCMs) in China. The study contributes understanding of choice motives for cultured meat in a non-Western setting, particularly in China - the country consuming the largest quantity of pork. Further, this is the first study to recognise segments that are directly based on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards cultured meat. The findings of this study will help global producers and policymakers to create effective promotion strategies and policies for this innovative product in developing countries, particularly in China.

This study aims to propose and validate a new, comprehensive scale of sustainable meat consumption intentions (SMCI) from the Pakistani consumers' perspective.

The SMCI scale was developed in four phases, following a mixed-methods approach. Phase 1 generated a pool of items through an extensive literature review and seven focus groups. Phase 2 established the face and content validity of the items. Phase 3 resulted in scale purification in Study 1 (n = 222), followed by Study 2, using exploratory factor analysis (n = 412) to derive an initial factor structure, along with reliability assessment and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 310) to test the theoretical structure. Phase 4 validated the results (n = 355).

The results from the three studies yielded a ten-item, three-dimensional SMCI scale: “meat detachment”, “meat curtailment” and “organic meat purchase”.

No study at present fully measures the aspects of sustainable meat consumption in Muslim market segments and emerging economies. The formation of the SMCI scale is an important academic contribution that identifies three facets of consumers' SMCI.

The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer perceptions of more sustainable protein alternatives to conventional meat.

A mixed method design of interviews and an online survey identified key drivers and barriers to the consumption of laboratory-grown meat, edible insects and plant-based meat substitutes, with meat attachment accounted for in analyses. Differences between personal preference and perceptions of alternative proteins’ role in addressing global environmental concerns were also explored.

Findings indicated that plant-based substitutes were favoured for personal consumption for moral and ethical reasons and edible insects were least favoured due to aversion. Meat attachment was significantly associated with personal willingness to consume alternative proteins in each of the three cases. Results challenged previous research that had proposed that when considering the effectiveness of certain alternatives in addressing global environmental issues, people may advocate them but not want to consume them personally. Results imply that the congruity of these perceptions is more complex.

Avenues for future research, including applications for exploring tailored marketing are suggested based on the preliminary findings of this study.

This study asked consumers to consider three alternative proteins alongside one another for the first time, exploring how meat attachment is associated with perceptions and quantifying the congruity of consumers’ personal perceptions and global perceptions of these alternative proteins.

The consumer of today places increased importance on food safety, environmental and health issues and quality, hence some are willing to purchase organic meat. Evaluation models used in previous organic food research have identified variables such as health consciousness, environmental concern, animal welfare and income as important determinants of organic food choice. The objective of this research was to examine Irish consumer perceptions of organic meat. A questionnaire was completed by 250 respondents, which were representative of the Irish population. Three groups of consumers were identified. Respondents who purchased or had intention to purchase organic meat placed higher levels of importance on food safety when purchasing meat, compared to those with no intention to purchase organic meat. Furthermore, purchasers of organic meat were more concerned about their health than non‐purchasers. Purchasers of organic meat also believed that organic meat was superior to conventional meat in terms of quality, safety, labelling, production methods and value. Availability and the price of organic meat were the key deterrents to the purchase of organic meat. Higher socio‐economic groups were more willing to purchase organic meat. Increasing awareness of food safety and pollution issues are important determinants in the purchase of organic meat; but securing a consistent supply of organic meat is paramount to ensuring growth in this sector.

The purpose of this paper is to explore strategic differences in marketing communication tactics for vegan and humane meat brands.

Content analysis was used to categorize the types of persuasive appeals used on the packaging of vegan and humane meat brands.

Humane meat brands use animal welfare and environmental appeals more often whereas vegan brands use taste appeals more frequently.

Marketers’ communication strategies for alternatives to traditional meat consumption are different from those of activists and non-profit organizations. By targeting middle of the road consumers, both vegan and humane brands can support widespread efficient and curtailment behaviors and in the process benefit consumers, the brands and society.

Anti-consumption and/or reduction of meat and animal by-products are arguably the most impactful ways in which consumers can alter their diets to positively impact individual and societal well-being. Consumers seeking alternatives to traditional meat consumption may either chose more sustainable meat products (efficient behaviors) or reduce/eliminate meat consumption (curtailment behaviors). Existing research suggests that such consumers can be divided into two segments – those driven by personal motives (health and/or taste) and those motivated by prosocial concern (environmental sustainability and/or animal welfare) and brands should match persuasive appeals to consumer motives, i.e. curtailment-focused vegan brands should use environmental or animal justice appeals and efficiency-focused humane meat brands should use taste or health appeals. However, the present research assumes marketers’ perspective and demonstrates that both vegan and humane brands target middle of the road consumers striving to balance multiple personal and prosocial goals, being socially responsible without compromising taste.

To examine the market potential for lab-grown meat (LGM) in Australia by: (1) determining consumers' willingness to consume LGM; (2) exploring heterogeneity in both consumers' willingness to consume LGM and food choice values; and (3) characterizing unique consumer clusters (segments) using socio-demographic, behavioral and psychosocial factors.

Latent class cluster analysis was conducted using online survey data obtained from a nationally representative sample of 1,078 Australian food shoppers.

Six consumer clusters were identified, each distinct in their degree of willingness to consume LGM and in their food choice values. Three clusters (49% of consumers) indicated some willingness to consume LGM. One segment, “Prospective LGM eaters” (12%), appeared “very willing” to consume LGM. These consumers were more likely to be younger (<35 years); university-educated; have greater prior awareness of LGM; stronger beliefs regarding the potential self- and society-related benefits of growing demand for LGM; and higher trust in diverse information sources.

Insights on the characteristics of each cluster provide useful information for the industry on how to tailor product development and marketing strategies to address the needs of consumers with the greatest potential to consume LGM.

This is the first consumer research on the topic of LGM to explore market opportunities for LGM in Australia using a nationally representative consumer sample.

The adverse effects on environmental sustainability, human health and animal welfare are often cited as the main reasons for reducing animal-based meat production and consumption. This study explored the food choice motives that determine consumer attitude toward plant-based meat (PBM) as a sustainable meat alternative. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was applied to further determine whether an individual’s attitude toward PBM, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control influence their willingness to try novel meat substitutes (i.e. PBM). Finally, the moderating effect of meat attachment was also considered.

Online self-reported questionnaires were administered in Taiwan, and 294 valid questionnaires were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and moderated regression were employed for analysis.

The results clarified the food choice motives that influenced consumer attitude toward PBM and revealed that attitude and subjective norms pertaining to trying PBM explained up to 35.03% of the variance in consumer willingness to try PBM. Notably, consumer meat attachment moderated the positive relationship between consumer attitude toward PBM and willingness to try PBM such that it became negative.

On the basis of the empirical findings regarding the food choice motives that influence consumer attitude and willingness to try PBM, this study provided practical implications for marketers seeking to increase consumer willingness to try PBM.

The main theoretical contribution of this research is that food choice motives should be considered in a TPB model to explain consumer willingness to try PBM. The moderating effect of consumer meat attachment should also be considered.