‘Hemp and Marijuana are both pots?’ Young consumer awareness and perception of hemp food in India

Abstract

PurposeThe present study assesses consumer awareness and readiness to pay for Hemp-based food products. Hemp-based food products can help maintain insulin levels and anxiety, improve cardiac function, and thus, the potentiality to increase market growth. On the other hand, people have a perception of feeling high with the consumption of Hemp due to the genesis of the same cannabis family. Therefore, there is a need to assess consumer knowledge regarding Hemp and Marijuana differentiation and, further, the willingness to incorporate Hemp into food. MethodologyThe study is based on a structured questionnaire consisting of dichotomous, multiple choice, and Likert scale-based questionnaires collected from 472 respondents from the Delhi-NCR. Various statistical methods like descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were applied to get inferences from the data. FindingsRespondents having experience in food science and allied branches are more aware of the differentiation between hemp and marijuana. Further, respondents are willing to accept hemp-based staple food, snacks, and fast foods; however, health is one of the prominent factors for purchasing hemp-based food products. OriginalityThe study is unique because no other consumer perception-based study could be found to our knowledge regarding hemp-based food products in the Indian market. This study will help new start-ups and organizations to understand consumer interests concerning hemp-based food products and the hemp market and create awareness amongst the people about hemp products and their nutritional benefits.