Consumer study reveals greater openness to cultivated meat

A new consumer study – published in the journal Foods – found an increasing level of openness for trying cultivated meat, in particular within younger generations.

The study – which was published on 11 May and commissioned by Israel-based start-up Aleph Farms – examined the views and attitudes of 2,018 US consumers and 2,034 UK consumers on cultivated meat.

The findings showed that younger generations were more open to trying such products, with 40% of consumers highly likely to try in both the US and the UK.

According to the results, around 89% of Generation Z adults, 85% of millennials, 77% of Generation X and 74% of boomers were said to be open to trying lab-grown meat.

While the majority of consumers surveyed were not familiar with cultivated meat, upon being presented with a description, on average the respondents imagined that the product could make up around 40% of their future meat intake.

“The results suggest that cultivated meat is likely to be widely accepted by the general public, especially the younger generations and an eager group of early adopters who appreciate its benefits across a wide range of social issues,” said Keri Szejda – founder and principal research scientist of North Mountain Consulting Group – who led the study.

She added: “These groups tend to embrace change and need little encouragement to try new food innovations. Additionally, we observed an increase in support for the technology once consumers had access to additional information, underscoring the importance of effective science communication for consumer adoption.”

Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, said: “In contrast to the younger eager adopters, the older generations are more wary of change. Social proof is important to them and they want to be assured that a product is safe, functional, and beneficial before they adopt it.”

Cultured meat produced by Eat Just was approved for sale in Singapore last November, in what was considered a world first.