The research, revealed within the journal Meals High quality and Observe, surveyed 727 potential cultivated meat clients in Germany on their behavioural intentions relating to cultivated meat: willingness to strive, frequently buy, eat reasonably than standard meat, and pay extra. These had been assessed on a seven-point Likert scale on probability. Their express and implicit attitudes in direction of cultivated meat had been additionally assessed.
This was to supply a grounding for the primary research, which paired details about cultivated meat with, firstly, photos that centered on the expertise surrounding it; secondly, photos that centered on it in a extra acquainted context; and lastly, with no image.
Behavioural intentions round cultivated meat
The outcomes confirmed that meals expertise neophobia is a powerful affect amongst all of these taking part.
The research discovered that those that had increased ranges of meals expertise neophobia had been much less more likely to embrace it by their behavioural intentions, i.e., much less more likely to frequently purchase and eat it.
The distinction is much less pronounced with those that have excessive ranges of acceptance, nonetheless, that means that neophobia isn’t as important an affect on the potential to simply accept cultivated meat as it’s on behavioural intentions. Specific attitudes in direction of cultivated meat had been additionally extra optimistic than implicit attitudes.
The research examined folks for his or her desire for deliberative or intuitive considering, utilizing the desire for instinct and deliberation scale (PID), and located that those that most popular intuitive considering had been extra more likely to embrace cultivated meat, and people who most popular deliberative considering had been extra more likely to reject it.
One other discovering made by researchers is that the 2 teams who’re almost definitely to eat cultivated meat are frequent meat eaters, and people who regularly eat meat substitutes akin to tofu. Regardless of their separation by weight loss plan, they had been two teams who confirmed an outlying enthusiasm for cultivated meat.
Affect of photos
The principle part of the research, which confirmed details about cultivated meat alongside completely different photos, discovered that these photos didn’t have an effect on the individuals’ intentions on cultivated meat come what may.
In different phrases, whether or not the knowledge was alongside an image of cultivated meat in a lab setting, cultivated meat photographed to look extra like actual meat, or just by itself, didn’t have an effect on individuals’ need to purchase the meat.
Moreover, whether or not the knowledge supplied centered on the advantages of cultivated meat or just remained impartial, folks’s attitudes didn’t change. The research suggests a future exploration into the have an effect on of knowledge surrounding the dangers of cultivated meat on shopper perceptions.
Earlier than this paper, there was, the research says, ‘little analysis’ on the impacts of such photos on shopper perceptions of cultivated meat.
Sourced From: Meals High quality and Choice
‘First Impressions and Meals Expertise Neophobia: analyzing the function of visible info for shopper evaluations of cultivated meat ’
Printed on: 5 August 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.104957
Authors: C. M. Baum, H. D. Steur, C. Lagerkvist