Data were analyzed with a conditional logit model (McFadden 1972). The main benefits of insect food were then briefly introduced, following a general script used with all classes, before setting up a group activity. We use cookies to give you the best experience. The age of adult respondents ranged from 33 to 75 yr with a mean of 45 yr (SD = 6.27). Shorter. Balanced written anchor points were given so that each respondent would see the scale in the same way. Lensvelt, E. J. S., and L. P. A. Steenbekkers. Although two billion people already eat insects in the world and the benefits of edible insects are well known, these green sources of protein are neither treated as conventional food products nor widely incorporated into Western diets. Worldwide food systems, and in particular Western ones, are under increasing pressure to evolve and a holistic approach involving people, business and government (Green et al. About 65% of the respondents were female and 85% had an undergraduate degree. No preference was identified between pictures of snacks and meals (t165 = 1.6, P > 0.05), nor was a stated preference for one over the other seen in the questionnaire (2 = 1.2, df = 1, P > 0.05). Visible insect parts are a strongly negative attribute, seen here in the childrens insect food picture ranking and in the survey of Dutch and Australian consumers by Lensvelt and Steenbekkers (2014). A limitation of our school investigation is the reliance on pictures rather than tasting of real products, due to both ethical and practical reasons. In both cases, presentation, anticipated texture, or expected taste were all important aspects on top of the overriding consideration of whether insects were visible. Omissions? People who exercise more may be more likely to care about the protein profile of their food and so may be expected to be more positive toward insect food. 2015). First, it offers a viable alternative to many high-sugar snacks commonly marketed to school-age children and which contribute to rising obesity levels (Matthews 2008). Even if a web format is used and linked to more accurate reporting (Kreuter et al. Food Rural Aff. Different types of information are, thus, relevant and potentially synergistic, which gives support for greater public communication about the benefits of insect food and the limits of environmental resources. A choice experiment was implemented to assess the relative importance and estimate consumers WTP for attributes charactering an insect protein product. People exercising regularly or who had already eaten insect food before were more likely to choose an alternative where insects were visible. Further, more extensive work would clarify this and could include rural populations too as specific food intakes vary between rural and urban children (Kirby et al. Baixauli, R., A. Salvador, G. Hough, and S. M. Fiszman. Considerable changes in market dynamics can be expected, particularly in Europe as confidence grows. On the other hand, vegetarians may be less willing to try insect food compared with regular meat-eaters. The number of survey respondents (from N = 1,020) citing the factors identified as making them more likely to eat insects regularly.

They have been put forward as a sustainable way to support growing meat consumption, food security, as well as promoting healthier diets. LiveScience - 20 Startling Facts About Insects, insect - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), insect - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up).

1). Some colonies of social insects, such as tropical termites and ants, may reach populations of millions of inhabitants. The average WTP for 500 g of mealworm protein was less than half that of the conventional meat product. Overall, only one-fifth of respondents said that they could not imagine regularly eating insects and supermarket availability and safety appeared as the top two considerations when thinking about regular insect consumption, though a real mix of other factors was also relevant (Fig. As a result, younger children, up to 11-yr old, were found to be more likely to want to try insect food relative to adults (t136 = 2.7, P < 0.01). Moreover, greater willingness to try the food when offered by a friend compared with a supermarket employee was clear. Vegetarians will be a minority of consumers, but some of them may well consider insects as a protein alternative. Scheibehenne, B., L. Miesler, and P. M. Todd. Opportunities for introducing insects to Belgian consumers were deemed nonexistent by Vanhonacker et al. Environ. Knowing this may help the industry adapt regional business models, although demographic factors may have a greater influence than the country of the consumers (Lennerns et al. A greater proportion of children surveyed, 56%, would eat insect food after the information session than before (2 = 35.2, df = 1, N = 161, P < 0.001). 2008). Age and high frequency of green shopping were then identified as WTP explanatory variables once market selection bias was corrected. The regression model accounted for standard sociodemographic characteristics known to affect consumer purchasing decisions including gender, age, income, and nationality. Younger children may have responded positively to insect products as they seemed to evaluate each picture based on the type of food it resembled (Because of the flavour of orange things, boy aged 67 yr) rather than being focused on the insect content. I like this cookie with cricket powder because it doesnt show any bug. We should also consider that French participants may have had some shared unobservable characteristic as it is possible that difference in snowball recruitment pattern contributed to observed nationality traits. Ranking of insect food pictures (red/darker = food without visible insects, blue/lighter = food with visible insects or insect parts in order of preference: insect bar, cookies with cricket flour, insect cubes, mealworm protein with rice, cricket crisps with some of the ingredients, grasshopper moussaka, insect snacks, fried rice with larvae, insect quiche, caramel-dipped locusts, bug salad, insect spread, see Supp Information [online only] for the pictures). Insects are often used in investigations of hormonal action, nerve and sense organ function, and many other physiological processes. The first two attributes were binary in levels. 2008) and simply participating in a survey about entomophagy can improve the attitude of participants toward insect food (Lensvelt and Steenbekkers 2014). Although some Western consumers do not think the information provided by famous people on entomophagy is trustworthy (Lensvelt and Steenbekkers 2014), celebrities or high-profile environmental advocates may very well represent valuable supporters of the insect food movement. This work counters the sometimes pessimistic view of the future of the insect food industry (Vanhonacker et al. We would eat this because it looks like our regular food. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. They were also positively influenced by their peers when discussing insect food pictures (t63 = 4.8, P < 0.001), whereas older age groups reported a negative effect of peer conversation (t96 = 3.2, P < 0.01). Among social insects, queen termites may live for up to 50 years, whereas some adult mayflies live less than two hours. Only 11% of the variation in WTP was explained by the linear regression model and the value of the Mills ratio prompted a preference for the two-step Heckman method in characterizing variables underlying WTP. Using a school-based investigation surveying 161 children, aged 615, and 114 of their parents in London, and an online consumer survey with mainly British and French consumers (N = 1,020), this research provides insights into the potential of the insect market in the West. It has been established that children exert a significant influence on supermarket shopping (Wilson and Wood 2004), not restricted to products for their own consumption (Jensen 1995), as is the case for food. One apparent trade-off, the visibility of insect parts, was of greater influence than price in the choice experiment highlighting that different factors will influence purchase decisions: the insect market is far from being one-dimensional. Insects are considered nutritionally healthier than red meat (Bukkens 2005, Magalhes et al. 2015) was distributed from 17 June to 12 July 2015. Indeed, the Chinese consistently give higher ratings to insect food compared with Germans and insects are a delicacy in many parts of the world; grasshoppers cost more than goat meat in Uganda, for example (Agea et al. Further work could quantify the effects of the identified variables in influencing purchasing behaviors in the context of diverse insect foods. More than one-third had eaten insects before and had, on average, enjoyed the experience (mean = 1.37, SD = 2.31). Office of National Statistics, United Kingdom, Insects as food: exploring cultural exposure and individual experience as determinants of acceptance, Promoting sustainable consumption: determinants of green purchases by Swiss consumers, R: A language and environment for statistical computing. FDA, USA, Consumer preferences for environmental quality and other social goals, The development of a child into a consumer, Flemish consumer attitudes towards more sustainable food choices, Profiling consumers who are ready to adopt insects as a meat substitute in a Western society, Sustainable food consumption: exploring the consumer attitude - behavioral intention gap, The influence of children on parental purchases during supermarket shopping. One-third of a representative U.S. population sample recently declared being likely to buy insect-based products (TrendsTracker (Blueshift Research) 2015) and one out of five meat consumers have said that they are ready to adopt insect food (Verbeke 2015). Dillman, D. A., L. M. Christian, and J. D. Smyth. Corrections? Previous experience with insect protein was also expected to have a positive effect on WTP. For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. The wording, layout, and general design of the survey were based on tailored survey methodology adapted for internet surveys (Dillman et al. Market analysis and WTP reveal that the population segment interested is substantial and has the potential to grow. Berger, S., C. Brtsch, C. Schmidt, F. Christandl, and A. M. Wyss. Report by the Sustainable Development Comission for DEFRA, United Kingdom, The role of topic interest in survey participation decisions, Review of evidence on consumer food-related behaviours that impact on sustainability, Report EV0541 for Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom, The psychology of eating insects: a cross-cultural comparison between Germany and China, Dep. This represents about three-fourths of all described animal species. The belief that higher income positively influences green food shopping may, thus, be a presumption; differences in income were also not relevant when examining determinants of green purchases for 547 Swiss consumers for example (Tanner and Kast 2003). Insect food processed to resemble familiar items may be more palatable to many relative to unprocessed insects (Hartmann et al. Edible insects are, in general, rich in protein, fat, and energy and can also be a significant source of vitamins and minerals (Rumpold and Schlter 2015). To elicit potential consumers WTP for insect protein, a Contingent Valuation approach was implemented. (2013), though consumer acceptance may have improved since, thanks to extensive media coverage and a public increase in environmental awareness. Direct engagement could occur, thanks to the health and environmental advantages of insects, including their potential circular system contribution to reducing food-waste at domestic and commercial scales in urban areas (Livin Farms 2018). Analysis used the R software environment (R Core Team 2015). This is one reason why even some low-priced insect products may not sell well. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 2). Presenting food in a meaningful way to the participants helped give an accurate picture of its acceptability (Marshall and Bell 2003). Thank you for submitting a comment on this article. By 2050, world meat consumption is predicted to increase by about 44% compared with 2005 figures (Alexandratos and Bruinsma 2012). Milner, J., R. Green, A. D. Dangour, A. Haines, Z. Chalabi, J. Spadaro, A. Markandya, and P. Wilkinson. Efficiency is intrinsic to raising insects as they can convert feed 12 times more efficiently than cattle (van Huis et al., 2013) and 80100% of their body mass is commonly used compared with 40% for beef (Nakagaki and Defoliart 1991, van Huis 2013). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations catalyzed this interest in a report advocating the use of insects in food and feed, and the European Union (EU) supported the first international conference on insects to feed the world in 2014 (van Huis et al. The valuation scenario described the projected under-supply of meat; health and environmental benefits of insect protein were outlined and examples of edible insect species were given (see Supp Materials [online only]). Attitudes toward invertebrates: are educational bug banquets effective? Another aspect of information to be considered is safety as European consumers will need reassurance on product safety to gain consumer trust. Eight school classes took part in one or two sessions, as some requested a follow-up visit to discuss research and scientific method as part of an extended outreach program. They look very nice as they have a BBQ flavour.

Both survey and questionnaire showed a broad awareness of insects as food and demonstrated that providing more information can improve the likelihood that people will want to try entomophagy. Stated consumer WTP for insect products may not fully translate into market action as the low market shares for ethical food suggest (Young et al. Similarly, it was found that respondents aged 1829 yr were the age group most likely to buy insects (TrendsTracker (Blueshift Research) 2015). It looks quite crispy, I think I would like to have a try. The modern human already eats insects invisibly: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that there may be 60 fragments of insect in 100 g of chocolate for example, and the idea of eating insects is far from new, but the very slow uptake in the West suggests that there are considerable barriers (Holt 1885, Shelomi 2016, U.S. FDA 2018). The contribution that insects make to food security in Africa, Asia, and South America has been documented, but in the 20th century, little attention was paid to the role they could play as protein contributors in the Western world (Illgner and Nel 2000). There will be no single silver bullet marketing strategy: different marketing strategies will have to be used according to the geographical location and associated consumer characteristics. Current food production systems may not sustain both the projected world population and the projected consumption patterns of meat products, in particular in the context of climate change (Brown and Funk 2008). This disparity may be due to cultural variation or the abundance in our sample of young participants. Though most are aware of the practice, thanks to media coverage of the topic, they know less about the nutritional benefits of insect food or the range of possible products. As the 6- to 11-yr olds were more likely to show interest in the insect products, this is compatible with the idea that the consumer behavior of children forms as early as infancy to 12 yr of age (Valkenburg and Cantor 2001). The top benefits of insect food perceived by survey respondents, contribution to feeding the world, and low environmental impact express some degree of global concern rather than personal gain, coming second to both the protein content and nutritional qualities of the food (Fig. Previous literature gives us reason to expect that the visibility of insects has a shaping influence on Westerners willingness to try. 2002) and were here found to be less likely to tolerate visible insect parts; this may affect the appeal of insect food as a health food. 2018). As vegetarianism is most often adopted due to concerns about health and the ethical treatment of animals (Fox and Ward 2008), insect protein may still appeal to some who have chosen vegetarianism for these reasons. Consequently, some of the divergence with other single-country consumer surveys (Verbeke 2015) can be viewed in the light of localized psychosocial influences on food choice. We exclusively manage 70+ of Indonesias top talent from multi verticals: entertainment, beauty, health, & comedy. Behaviour is diverse, from the almost inert parasitic forms, whose larvae lie in the nutrient bloodstreams of their hosts and feed by absorption, to dragonflies that pursue victims in the air, tiger beetles that outrun prey on land, and predaceous water beetles that outswim prey in water. Pettinger, C., M. Holdsworth, and M. Gerber. We have 1) evaluated whether urban children are more likely to start eating insects than adults, 2) surveyed potential Western consumers with an online consumer survey to begin to understand patterns of WTP and the trade-offs made when considering insect food products, and 3) assessed several different marketing strategies for edible insects (snack format, promotion with insect bars, celebrity endorsement, etc.). Commercially, mealworm burgers have been sold in Holland since October 2014, the U.S. fast food chain Wayback Burgers first included cricket milkshakes on its 2015 summer menu, and the European supermarkets Carefour and Sainsburys are now stocking insect snacks. About 95% of respondents indicated living in Europe, the United States or Canada with half from France, nearly a third from the United Kingdom and 7% from the United States. The average WTP was 1.11 (0.051) and the average fitted WTP was 1.18 (0.017) for the linear regression.

As access to products expands, we may find that the disgust factor is less strong than initially expected. Cultural disgust is thought to be the main reason that insects are not part of the diet in Europe and North America and strong cultural barriers to their widespread adoption in the West have long been documented (Vane-Wright 1991). Kreuter, F., S. Presser, and R. Tourangeau.

Though we found no positive peer influence between teenagers in this study, this may be because teenagers can be unwilling to admit it, as Lee (2014) found that the strongest predictor of the green shopping behavior of Hong Kong adolescents was peer influence. It was also informed by the preliminary results from the initial responses in the school activity and the school questionnaires and was written in English and French. Young children were positively influenced by talking about the insect food pictures with their peers. One avenue to explore further are the economic opportunities for insect food purchasing behavior; modeling projections of future meat prices and insect prices could indicate a price point at which insects could truly become mainstream. Hartmann, C., J. Shi, A. Giusto, and M. Siegrist. 2013) and supports an encouraging vision outlined by others (Caparros Megido et al. Additionally, anecdotal evidence hints that targeting children may be a good way to encourage a new generation to eat insects (Vane-Wright 1991, Nacson-Jones 2014), as their food preferences may be more malleable, but the published studies on insect food have included few individuals under the age of 20 yr. Marketing strategy would benefit from more research on how Western taste can be influenced. Dietary patterns and colorectal cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis, Meal construction: exploring the relationship between eating occasion and location, Children and obesity: a pan-European project examining the role of food marketing. As health is the major driver of exercise, it is easy to see why healthy and protein-rich foods would appeal to this group (Prichard and Tiggemann 2008).

2016 provisional results. Towards sustainable consumption, Dep. Most Western consumer surveys have been limited to a small number of Dutch, Belgian, and Australian consumers (Lensvelt and Steenbekkers 2014). Updates? Pictures of food without visible insects or insect parts were preferred over pictures with visible insects (t136 = 12, P < 0.001, Fig. Finally, we would like to thank all interviewees for their willingness to participate in this research and all the people who took time to distribute and take part in the online survey. The other two-thirds are awaiting recommendations, confirmation of nutritious value and taste. Tailored Des. Our creator-led media are leadersin each respective verticals,reaching 10M+ target audience. Van Loo, X. Gellynck, and W. Verbeke. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. In a popular sense, insect usually refers to familiar pests or disease carriers, such as bedbugs, houseflies, clothes moths, Japanese beetles, aphids, mosquitoes, fleas, horseflies, and hornets, or to conspicuous groups, such as butterflies, moths, and beetles. The coefficient estimates of the WTP linear regression can be found in Table 3 and the final model estimated with the two-step Heckman method is summarized in Table 4. 1997). Children (t160 = 6.8, P < 0.001) and parents (t113 = 7.7, P < 0.001) both gave negative answers when asked if they could imagine regularly eating insects. Insects, offal, feet and faces: acquiring new tastes in New Zealand? Providing marketing, business, and financial consultancy for our creators and clients powered by our influencer platform, Allstars Indonesia (allstars.id). Hayes, I., C. Keane, D. Lee, J. Rumsey, and A. Scaife. The vast majority of respondents were meat-eaters; environmental arguments were given by 40% of the non-meat-eaters. Insect food presented to survey participants has usually been restricted to insect-based products viewed in isolation, whereas Elzerman et al. Consequently, different market sections could emerge based on price differentiations. Entomologists estimate the actual number of living insect species could be as high as 5 million to 10 million. Investigating the processes underlying one-off to regular consumption patterns and how to drive sales using a taste approach also merit attention if insects are ever to be part of Western weekly diets. 2015). As the market develops and more people are familiarized, products with whole or recognizable insects may yet become more viable as the positive interaction between visibility and previous experience does indicate that those who may have enjoyed insect food in the past will be less reluctant to buy products where insects are an obvious ingredient. In addition, there was some potential endogeneity in the two-step Heckman model. The price attribute had seven levels: 5.00, 4.90, 4.80, 3.50, 3.20, 1.40, and 1.00. The slight distinction seen between boys and girls attitudes is, in this study, possibly confounded with family background as most boy respondents came from School B which had different socioeconomic characteristics to School A. Distribution was by convenience sampling (Imperial College mailing lists, social media, personal contacts, etc.) 2001, Piernas and Popkin 2010). This study indicates that products could be better matched to specific markets; their range could be increased, and price is an essential product attribute. 3). Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. The econometric analysis used Stata 11 software (StataCorp 2009) and a 0.729 conversion rate between euros and pound sterling. P. V., on whose MSc thesis this work is based, thanks Julie Urquhart for her contribution to survey planning and Judith Cherni and Karen Makuch for advising on social science inquiries. When offered a choice of two insect products and neither, >50% of respondents chose an insect alternative. Tan, H. S. G., A. R. H. Fischer, P. Tinchan, M. Stieger, L. P. A. Steenbekkers, and H. C. M. van Trijp. 2018). Insects used as an ingredient in the form of a powder that can be added to baking preparations, cooking sauces, etc., or sold in a prepared, processed form, such as insect burgers will find greater favor with the general consumer. They also produce fewer greenhouse gases and ammonia, limiting soil nitrification and acidification (Oonincx et al. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.

The potential for insects to become mainstream in Western markets is hard to generalize from the available studies which show mixed results. Showing pictures of fully cooked dishes with insects elicited the same responses as when children looked at pictures of insect snacks. Some of the feather-winged beetles and parasitic wasps are almost microscopic, while some tropical forms such as the hercules beetles, African goliath beetles, certain Australian stick insects, and the wingspan of the hercules moth can be as large as 27 cm (10.6 inches). In total, 1,020 people took part in the online survey from 17 June to 12 July 2015, with a 92% completion rate. Green, M., B. Ryder, A. Monaghan, R. Levett, and NCCSDC. Modes of reproduction are quite diverse, and reproductive capacity is generally high. Greener shoppers may also be more willing to pay for environmentally friendly insect protein sources. 2008, Hartmann et al. Yeomans, M. R., L. Chambers, H. Blumenthal, and A. Blake.

Influential factors may still be changed, and with appropriate marketing, Westerners could reverse their acquired distaste (Hobden and Pliner 1995, Deroy et al. A principal concern for many consumers is food prices (Hayes et al.

The variable high frequency of green shopping was generated combining answers from people buying organic or eco-friendly food products a few times a month, once a week, and every time they shop. Yet, green shoppers were more likely to enter the insect food market than others when green habits were framed in terms of green shopping frequency.

Case studies with other food products show that pleasant organoleptic experience, with positive taste, color, and smell evaluations may open possibilities of securing a regular customer base (Espejel et al. insect, (class Insecta or Hexapoda), any member of the largest class of the phylum Arthropoda, which is itself the largest of the animal phyla. This may seem counter-intuitive as women are more likely to make health-conscious dietary changes (Fagerli and Wandel 1999) and insects are promoted as healthy products. This may be particularly true if the identified interested child segment is targeted early and educated about the benefits of insect food. Besides providing a high-protein food source, insect food may also be useful in tackling the most common micronutrient deficiencies in developed countries: iron, vitamin A, and zinc; thus, making insects part of our dietary patterns could be expected to result in substantial public health savings (Mller and Krawinkel 2005, Bates et al. Insect food is usually marketed as a sustainable product, but literature suggests that environmental arguments are limited in promoting ecological eating (Tobler et al. Please check for further notifications by email. 2004). 2004). Three quarters of respondents predicted that chef or celebrity endorsement would make their friends more likely to eat insects. Insects are also used as environmental quality indicators to assess water quality and soil contamination and are the basis of many studies of biodiversity. Conversely, though girls were unsure about trying insect food, boys were slightly resistant (t114 = 2.2, P < 0.05). All rights reserved. Using a mixed-method approach, we sought to provide insights into the potential of insect food to grow market share in Europe.

• Javascript String Replace Case Insensitive
• Newage Outdoor Kitchen
• Victimology Is Acquired During What Stage Of Offender Profiling
• The Original Steve's Diner Rochester, Ny
• An Evening With Lucian Freud
• Can Pine Trees Grow In Your Body
• Meininger Hotel Budapest
• Potlatchdeltic Recreation Map
• Luka Modric Fifa Card
• Best Restaurants Milford, Ct