A systematic review on consumer acceptance of alternative proteins: Pulses, algae, insects, plant-based meat alternatives, and cultured meat

M.C Onwezen,E.P Bouwman,M.J Reinders,H Dagevos

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2020.105058

Abstract

Consumers' dietary patterns have a significant impact on planetary and personal health. To address health and environmental challenges one of the many possible solutions is to substitute meat consumption with alternative protein sources. This systematic review identifies 91 articles with a focus on the drivers of consumer acceptance of five alternative proteins: pulses, algae, insects, plant-based alternative proteins, and cultured meat. This review demonstrates that acceptance of the alternative proteins included here is relatively low (compared to that of meat); acceptance of insects is lowest, followed by acceptance of cultured meat. Pulses and plant-based alternative proteins have the highest acceptance level. In general, the following drivers of acceptance consistently show to be relevant for the acceptance of various alternative proteins: motives of taste and health, familiarity, attitudes, food neophobia, disgust, and social norms. However, there are also differences in relevance between individuals and between alternative proteins. For example, for insects and other novel alternative proteins the drivers of familiarity and affective processes of food neophobia and disgust seem more relevant. As part of gaining full insight in relevant drivers of acceptance, the review also shows an overview of the intervention studies that were included in the 91 articles of the review, providing implications on how consumer acceptance can be increased. The focal areas of the intervention studies included here do not fully correspond with the current knowledge of drivers. To date, intervention studies have mainly focussed on conscious deliberations, whereas familiarity and affective factors have also been shown to be key drivers. The comprehensive overview of the most relevant factors for consumer acceptance of various categories of alternative proteins thus shows large consistencies across bodies of research. Variations can be found in the nuances showing different priorities of drivers for different proteins and different segments, showing the relevance of being context and person specific for future research.

Highlights

A convincing body of evidence demonstrates that the over consumption of meat (Ocke et al, 2009; Sans & Combris, 2015) con tributes substantially to worrisome environmental impacts (Aiking, 2014; Aiking & de Boer, 2018) and to lifestyle diseases (Ekmekcioglu et al, 2018; Westhoek et al, 2014)
Concerns consumer behaviour or acceptance of alternative protein sources Contains empirical data Focusses on understanding, explaining, or influencing consumer acceptance or purchase behaviour regarding alternative proteins Concerns protein sources instead of proteins Full-text paper written in English and published in a peer-reviewed journal Concerns studies conducted in Western countries
The studies we examined consistently noted the relevance of dietary patterns: Consumers with high levels of meat consumption are more receptive to cultured meat (e.g., Circus & Robinson, 2019) and products that look similar to meat (Hoek et al, 2011), whereas they are less open to plant-based proteins

Summary

Introduction

A convincing body of evidence demonstrates that the over consumption of meat (Ocke et al, 2009; Sans & Combris, 2015) con tributes substantially to worrisome environmental impacts (Aiking, 2014; Aiking & de Boer, 2018) and to lifestyle diseases (Ekmekcioglu et al, 2018; Westhoek et al, 2014). Con sumers can include various sources of proteins in their diets for example replacing meat with a meat substitute, or using alternative proteins like seaweed or beans in their dishes. The market shares of alternative proteins remain low (Gravely & Fraser, 2018), even despite the fact that super markets and restaurants increasingly offer alternatives to traditional meat products or dishes, such as plant-based burgers or wraps with beans (Curtain & Grafenauer, 2019). Alternative proteins, such as pul ses, algae, insects, plant-based meat alternatives, and cultured meat Uncertainty remains about whether cultured meat will be produced in a more environmentally sustainable manner than conven tional meat (e.g., Alexander, Brown, Dias, Moran, & Rounsevell, 2019; Van der Weele et al, 2019)

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