scholarly journals No Way, That’s Gross! How Public Exposure Therapy Can Overcome Disgust Preventing Consumer Adoption of Sustainable Food Alternatives

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1380
Author(s):  
Jan Andre Koch ◽  
Jan Willem Bolderdijk ◽  
Koert van Ittersum

Two prominently discussed sustainable food alternatives—lab-meat and edible insects—elicit disgust among consumers, thereby preventing acceptance. While providing prospective consumers with more information on, for instance, the environmental benefits of lab-meat has shown some success in increasing consumer acceptance, we argue that the disgust response—the main barrier to the societal acceptance of these foods—is not addressed. This is, we argue, because disgust is not the result of misperceptions (e.g., edible insects carry diseases) and thus unlikely to be overcome by information alone. Building on the latest insights into the social origins of disgust, this manuscript reviews an alternative strategy to foster the broader acceptance of sustainable food alternatives that currently elicit disgust. Specifically, we explain why and how public exposure could be a promising avenue for marketers to reduce consumers’ disgust response and thus increase the acceptance of sustainable food alternatives.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Gwynne Mapes ◽  
Andrew S. Ross

Abstract In this article we consider the discursive production of status as it relates to democratic ideals of environmental equity and community responsibility, orienting specifically to food discourse and ‘elite authenticity’ (Mapes 2018), as well as to recent work concerning normativity and class inequality (e.g. Thurlow 2016; Hall, Levon, & Milani 2019). Utilizing a dataset comprised of 150 Instagram posts, drawn from three different acclaimed chefs’ personal accounts, we examine the ways in which these celebrities emphasize local/sustainable food practices while simultaneously asserting their claims to privileged eating. Using multimodal critical discourse analysis, we document three general discursive tactics: (i) plant-based emphasis, (ii) local/community terroir, and (iii) realities of meat consumption. Ultimately, we establish how the chefs’ claims to egalitarian/environmental ideals paradoxically diminish their eliteness, while simultaneously elevating their social prestige, pointing to the often complicated and covert ways in which class inequality permeates the social landscape of contemporary eating. (Food discourse, elite authenticity, normativity, social class, locality/sustainability)*


Author(s):  
Christl Li ◽  
Sean B. Cash ◽  
Julie Lesnik ◽  
Timothy S. Griffin ◽  
Joel Mason ◽  
...  

Abstract Although research has demonstrated the positive nutritional value and environmental benefits associated with edible insect consumption, several factors challenge the growth and development of the edible insect industry for human consumption in the US and Canada. Cultural and psychological factors account for much of the aversion US and Canadian consumers display. The absence of specific regulation also constitutes a structural barrier to more widespread production and sale of edible insects. Compared to the US, the European Union has a more developed edible insect industry and has enacted legislation that removes some of the barriers. As consumer awareness of the putative health benefits of edible insects increases, more comprehensive regulations may emerge to keep pace with the growth of this industry. Overall, a multi-disciplinary approach that addresses both benefits and barriers to consumption is needed to facilitate a robust market for edible insects in the US and Canada.


Britain possesses a forest area which is one of the smallest in Europe in relation to its population and land area. In the past, forests have been felled to make way for farming and to supply timber for ships, houses, fuel and metal smelting. Timber was a key to sea power, and repeatedly the availability of home timber supplies has proved crucial in time of war. The nation’s dwindling reserves of timber have been a source of anxiety since Tudor times and periodic surges of planting for timber production by private landowners took place until about 1850. Thereafter, interest faded with the advent of the iron ship, the Industrial Revolution and the availability of cheap timber imports. Govern­ ment activity was minimal until a national forest authority was formed in 1919 to create a strategic timber reserve. Since 1958 there have been frequent policy reviews to assess the changing needs of the nation for timber and the new values associated with the social and environmental benefits of forests.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
E. Woolf ◽  
C. Maya ◽  
J. Yoon ◽  
S. Shertukde ◽  
T. Toia ◽  
...  

Insects are a sustainable protein source with poor consumer acceptance in developed countries. An Eating Insects Conference and Tasting Demonstration was hosted with a goal of promoting consumption of edible insects. The event consisted of an educational session that provided information about entomophagy followed by a cooking and tasting demonstration of edible insects. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were conducted to assess the effect of the event on participants’ acceptance of entomophagy. Forty-three attendees completed the surveys. After attending the event, participants felt more knowledgeable about entomophagy, which positively correlated with willingness to consume edible insects. Participants who believed that entomophagy is sustainable were more willing to consume edible insects than those who did not. Although all participants consumed insects at the tasting demonstration, those with prior consumption experiences had significantly higher post-intervention willingness scores, indicating repeated exposures may be necessary for improving consumer acceptance of edible insects. The event raised awareness of using insects as food and provided useful information for developing effective interventions to promote insect consumption.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Anankware ◽  
E.A. Osekre ◽  
D. Obeng-Ofori ◽  
C.M. Khamala

This study evaluated the social and ecological factors that affect entomophagy in Ghana with a view to instigate the initiation of programmes for the use of insects for human and poultry nutrition in Africa. Two thousand questionnaires were administered to randomly selected respondents in all the ten regions of Ghana. With regards to social factors, entomophagy was found to be influenced by age, gender, education and occupation. Entomophagy is practiced across all age groups and gender in Ghana. Proportionally, 90, 78 and 74% of the aged (60+), middle aged (31-50) and the youth (18-30), respectively, were observed to consume various insect species. Ecologically, entomophagy was more pronounced in rural than urban areas. Over 87% of respondents who consume edible insects acquire them through harvesting/trapping. Four insect species were identified as feed for animals. The majority (81.6%) of the respondents consume insects as a source of protein, 9.6% for cultural reasons, 5.6% for medicinal values and 3.0 and 0.2%, respectively, for recreational and religious reasons. Gender has the least influence on entomophagy. Considering the economic, ecological and nutritional importance of edible insects in traditional Ghanaian foods, attention should be given to sustainable environmental harvesting practices.


2013 ◽  
Vol 671-674 ◽  
pp. 496-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Yang Wang ◽  
Yun Peng Chu ◽  
Yong Yao ◽  
Yu Ping Zhu

China is a developing country, and also a quake-prone country. On the one hand is the Special national conditions that per capita energy shortage and frequent earthquakes, on the other hand is the social economy development and people's living environment requirements continue to increase, both of them raised new requirement of China’s residence system development. Light steel structure residence is energy conservation , environmental protection, safety and seismic, these unique advantages just to meet the current development of residential industry in China, so it has a good development prospect. This article start from the realistic background, around the application and development of our country’s light steel structure residence presently, mainly introduced the characteristics of light steel structure residence, the impact of construction industry, and the social benefits, environmental benefits, housing industrialization effective and comprehensive benefits it can produce.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Fiorentini ◽  
Amanda J. Kinchla ◽  
Alissa A. Nolden

Growing demand for sustainable food has led to the development of meat analogs to satisfy flexitarians and conscious meat-eaters. Successful combinations of functional ingredients and processing methods result in the generation of meat-like sensory attributes, which are necessary to attract non-vegetarian consumers. Sensory science is a broader research field used to measure and interpret responses to product properties, which is not limited to consumer liking. Acceptance is evaluated through hedonic tests to assess the overall liking and degree of liking for individual sensory attributes. Descriptive analysis provides both qualitative and quantitative results of the product’s sensory profile. Here, original research papers are reviewed that evaluate sensory attributes of meat analogs and meat extenders through hedonic testing and/or descriptive analysis to demonstrate how these analytical approaches are important for consumer acceptance. Sensory evaluation combined with instrumental measures, such as texture and color, can be advantageous and help to improve the final product. Future applications of these methods might include integration of sensory tests during product development to better direct product processing and formulation. By conducting sensory evaluation, companies and researchers will learn valuable information regarding product attributes and overall liking that help to provide more widely accepted and sustainable foods.


2017 ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
М. V. Shchuryk ◽  
О. R. Nadraha

Processes of collection, processing, removal, storage and utilization of solid household wastes and garbage are analyzed. Problems associated with their organization were aggravating in Ukraine during the transition to the market-based economic model radically changing the waste treatment mechanisms operated in the period of administrative and command system. It is demonstrated that Ukraine still has no well-functioning management system enabling for the civilized treatment of household wastes, including their recycling and utilization. The process of household wastes and garbage removal is disorganized and erratic. The chaotic way of collecting household wastes and garbage, used in many countries as a resource supportive to the economic development, needs to be firmly rejected. The global practices show that the problems of utilization and reuse of household wastes and garbage can be dealt with through intensive innovating and intellectualization. The effectiveness of solutions to the above problems is also conditional on two key actors: local self-governance bodies and citizens concerned with the matter. Assurance of social and environmental benefits is their necessary component. By the current organization and economic principles, enterprises active in processing, utilization and storage of household wastes and garbage are assigned the key role in treatment of household wastes. The advanced organization and economic principles for collection, storage and utilization of household wastes and garbage in Ukraine can be introduced once the nation-wide conceptual model for the development of this economic activity is elaborated. It needs to rely upon the Keynesian model that accounts for not only the interests of capital, but conforms, in many ways, to the human values concerned with environmental protection. The mechanism for collection, removal, storage, utilization and processing of solid household wastes and garbage needs to be organized as a full-fledged component of the social reproduction process. The key problem which solution will help adopt the new organization and economic principles for utilization and disposal of wastes is to create the conditions for constructing waste recycling fact ories, including the system of preferences. As shown by practices of many developed countries, they ensure effective processing and recycling of household wastes and garbage and reduce the land areas required for wastes and garbage placement.


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