Relationship between Acceptance of Insects as an Alternative to Meat and Willingness to Consume Insect-Based Food—A Study on a Representative Sample of the Polish Population

Despite their nutritional and ecological potential, insect-based food is rarely accepted by consumers. There may be a discrepancy between the consumers’ understanding of the need to reduce meat consumption and their personal food preferences. Our goal was to investigate the relationship between the acceptance of insects as a meat substitute, the willingness to buy and consume insect-based food, and the underlying factors. The study was conducted on a representative sample of the Polish population, and as in previous studies, our results showed that men who are more familiar with entomophagy pay more attention to the environmental impact of their food choices, are convenience-orientated and are more willing to accept insects as a meat substitute. However, people with higher levels of food neophobia and disgust sensitivity and lower levels of variety-seeking tendency are less willing to consume insects. Our study showed that the acceptance of insects as an alternative to meat (general perspective) does not translate into a willingness to buy and eat them (individual perspective). Consumers who declare their acceptance of insects as a meat substitute might not be willing to purchase insects for their consumption.

Sensory Attributes of Jackfruit beyond Meat Sandwich Filling

Jackfruit is used as a meat substitute by some consumers but reports on its use are scanty. Jackfruit is becoming popular among meat lovers who want non-soy-based meat alternative. Thus, this study aims to 1) discover a healthy and affordable option to meat and 2) assess if consumers candifferentiate between pulled pork and jackfruit in a sandwich. Three types of sandwiches were prepared (i.e., jackfruit-in-water; pork tenderloin; jackfruit-inbrine). Sensory analysis using 300 untrained panelists was conducted to examine selected quality attributes (flavor, texture, aroma) and identify the meat-based sample. Panelists scored the sandwiches on a scale of 1-3 with 1 being most favored. The mean scores were calculated as follows: pork = 1.54), jackfruit in brine = 2.16), and Jackfruit in water = 2.18. Statistical analysis (2 tailed T-test) found a significant difference (p = 0.003) in flavor between thepork sandwich (score = 1.6) and those of jackfruit in brine (score = 2.17) and water (score = 2.17). There was a significant difference (p = 0.05) in the texture of pork sandwich (score = 1.6) and jackfruit sandwich in brine (score = 2.0) and water (score = 2.3). Most tasters thought the jackfruit was a meat product although the meat product was ultimately favored. Participants did not know that the sandwiches had a meat substitute. Jackfruit could be a desirable meat substitute for consumers who are looking for low-fat meat alternative rich in antioxidants to add to meals.

Optimizing the Nutritional Composition of a Meat Substitute Intended to Replace Meat in Observed Diet Results in Marked Improvement of the Diet Quality of French Adults

Objectives While consumers’ demand is growing, meat substitutes have much varied composition, raising questions about their nutritional interest. We aimed to identify the composition of a meat substitute that would best improve diet quality, and analyze the impact on nutrient adequacy. Methods We aimed at maximizing the overall diet quality of an average individual representing the nutrient intake of the French adult population (INCA3, n = 1125) by modeling the composition of a meat substitute intended to replace meat, using non-linear optimization (using SAS, proc optmodel). The diet quality was assessed using the PANDiet scoring system, which assesses the probability of adequate nutrient intake. Nutritional constraints were applied in order to not increase the risk of overt deficiency for 12 nutrients. A list of 159 ingredients was used to compose the meat replacer and technological constraints were defined so as to take into account the feasibility of the formulation. The impacts on diet quality of the modelled meat substitute were analyzed and compared with those of 43 meat substitutes on the market. Results The optimized meat substitute was composed of 13 ingredients (such as coco bean, yellow sweet pepper, rapeseed oil, dried shiitake mushroom, wheat bran and thyme) and this formulation proved to be relatively robust to variations in the model constraints, as shown by a sensitivity analysis. Meat substitution with this optimized meat substitute largely increased the PANDiet, by 5.5 points above its initial value before substitution (73.7/100). In particular, it led to better adequacies for nutrients that are currently insufficiently consumed (e.g., alpha-linolenic acid, fiber, linoleic acid). It also allowed to compensate for loss of some nutrients partly provided by meat (e.g., vitamin B6, potassium and, to a certain extent, bioavailable iron), but was not sufficient to compensate for bioavailable zinc and vitamin B12. The optimized meat substitute proved to be dramatically more nutritionally efficient than the available meat substitutes, whose individual impact on the PANDiet ranged from −3.1 to +1.5 points. Conclusions We proved that it is possible to select appropriate ingredients resulting in a meat substitute that could be a fairly good nutritional lever when substituting meat. Funding Sources Partly funded by a PhD fellowship from Terres Univia.

How Do Consumers Perceive Cultured Meat in Croatia, Greece, and Spain?

The meat production industry is one of the leading contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. Cultured meat presents itself as a potential eco- and animal-friendly meat substitute which has the potential to eradicate animal cruelty and reduce both the environmental footprint and the risk of zoonotic illnesses, while delivering a nutrient-dense product. The purpose of this study was to investigate how consumers perceive cultured meat and if the frequency of meat consumption is related to their intention of trying or purchasing cultured meat. Data were collected online in 2020 from Croatia, Greece, and Spain. Among the 2007 respondents, three segments were identified according to meat consumption and variety, plus an a priori identified group of “non-meat eaters”. Sixty percent perceived cultured meat as kind to animals, 57% as unnatural, 45% as healthy and environmentally-friendly, 21% as disgusting, and only 16% as tasty. Although 47% of the respondents had not heard of cultured meat before, 47% would taste it and 41% would purchase it for the same price as conventional meat. This indicates that consumers from Croatia, Greece and Spain might be likely to purchase cultured meat if sold at an affordable price.

Preferences of German Consumers for Meat Products Blended with Plant-Based Proteins

High levels of meat consumption are increasingly being criticised for ethical, environmental, and social reasons. Plant-based meat substitutes have been with reservations identified as healthy sources of protein in comparison to meat. This alternative offers several social, environmental, and probably health benefits, and it may play a role in reducing meat consumption. However, there has been a lack of research on how specific meat substitute attributes can influence consumers to replace or partially replace meat in their diets. Research has demonstrated that, in many countries, consumers are highly attached to meat. They consider it to be an essential and integral element of their daily diet. For the consumers that are not interested in vegan or vegetarian alternatives to meat, so-called meathybrids could be a low-threshold option for a more sustainable food consumption behaviour. In meathybrids, only a fraction of the meat product (e.g., 20% to 50%) is replaced with plant-based proteins. In this paper, the results of an online survey with 500 German consumers are presented with a focus on preferences and attitudes relating to meathyrids. The results show that more than fifty percent of consumers substitute meat at least occasionally. Thus, approximately half of the respondents reveal an eligible consumption behaviour with respect to sustainability and healthiness to a certain degree. Regarding the determinants of choosing either meathybrid or meat, it becomes evident that the highest effect is exerted by the health perception. The healthier meathybrids are perceived, the higher is the choice probability. Thus, this egoistic motive seems to outperform altruistic motives, like animal welfare or environmental concerns, when it comes to choice for this new product category.

Consumer Preferences for Meathybrids - Empiricalfindings from Belgium

High levels of meat consumption are increasingly being criticised for ethical, environmental, and social reasons. Plant-based meat substitutes have been identified as healthy sources of protein in comparison to meat. This alternative offers several social, environmental and health benefits and may play a role in reducing meat consumption. However, there has been a lack of research on how specific meat substitute attributes can influence consumers to replace or partially replace meat in their diets. Research demonstrates that in many countries consumers are highly attached to meat. They consider it as an essential and integral element of their daily diet. For these consumers which are not interested in vegan or vegetarian alternatives to meat, so-called meathybrids could be a low-threshold option for a more sustainable food consumption behaviour. In meathybrids only a fraction of the meat product (e.g. 20% to 50%) is replaced with plant-based proteins. In this paper, the results of an online survey with 501 Belgium consumers are presented with focus on preferences and attitudes relating to meathyrids. The results show that more than fifty percent of consumers substitute meat at least occasionally. Thus, about half of the respondents reveal an eligible consumption behaviour in respect to sustainability and healthiness to a certain degree. Concerning the determinants of choosing either meathybrid or meat it becomes evident that a strong effect is exerted by the health perception. The healthier meathybrids are perceived, the higher is the choice probability. Thus, this egoistic motive seems to outperform altruistic motives like animal welfare or environmental concerns when it comes to choice for this new product category.