Insects as food – The impact of information on consumer attitudes

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In western cultures, the consumption of foods based on animal sources is high and thus not sustainable. It is highly important to find alternative protein sources having a comparable nutritional content to traditional products of animal origin and, at the same time, a lower impact on the environment. Nutritional aspects and energy are important for physically active persons and insects as a replacement of traditional protein sources may be a possibility. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of physically active consumers towards insects as food and whether these attitudes were affected by information about nutrition and sustainability. Half of the 123 recruited physically active adult consumers received information about the nutritional content and sustainability of insects as food, while the other half did not. All 123 consumers answered the same questionnaire which consisted of three parts: Demography, Sustainability and Health, and Attitudes towards insects as food. In both groups, approximately 35–40% of the consumers would consider eating insects. The attitudes were slightly below neutral; however, it seems that attitudes would be more positive if the consumers could be convinced that insects as food are good for health and environment, as well as tasty. A comparison between the two consumer groups showed no significant difference concerning attitudes towards insects as food. However, the group who received information was significantly more concerned about an adequate intake of nutrients. This shows the complexity of food attitudes, where many factors must be taken into account.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer100754
TidsskriftInternational Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science
Vol/bind32
Antal sider4
ISSN1878-450X
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2023

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
This study is part of a larger project titled “Eating insects – a culinary and healthy delicacy”, financed by the Knowledge Foundation , Sweden. The author would like to thank the financer of this project as well as the participants in the study.

Funding Information:
The authors of this manuscript titled “Insects as food – the impact of information, sustainability, and physical activity on consumer attitudes” have financial research support from the Knowledge Foundation , Sweden, and the grant number is 20170141 . There are no conflicts of interest.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

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