How do consumers perceive cultured meat?

For the authors from the Future Consumer Lab in the Department of Food Science at University of Copenhagen the meat production industry is said to be 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 the 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.

As described in Nutrients 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.

How Do Consumers Perceive Cultured Meat in Croatia, Greece, and Spain? By Paula Franceković, Lucía García-Torralba, Eleni Sakoulogeorga, Tea Vučković andFederico J. A. Perez-Cueto. Future Consumer Lab, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark. Academic Editor: Alaa El-Din A. Bekhit. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041284