Consumer perception of insects in non-food products

Abstract

In order to evolve towards a green and biobased economy, the use of insects can play a vital role for the management of organic waste and its conversion into biomass. The larvae of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), a high fat containing insect, appear to hold interesting opportunities for companies active in oleo chemistry as well as companies that process the fats and derived products (such as surfactants) into end products, such as detergents, household cleaning products, personal care products and cosmetics. When introducing new green products like these to consumers, an understanding of the perception of insect-based products is necessary to choose appropriate marketing strategies to overcome innovation resistance. Due to the lack of research on this subject, the purpose of this study is to develop an initial understanding of the consumer perception and to explore the factors driving and hindering the adoption of insect-based products. The majority of studies on the subject of insects, is focused on applications in food. Our study aims to fill an existing gap, by focussing on non-food products. A mixed method design was used and consists of a literature study, and a qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The results indicate that both novelty seekers and risk avoiders are willing to try insect-based products, but barriers vary per product category. This study is part of the INFACT project, in which green surfactants, based on black soldier fly fats are synthesised and implemented in technical applications.