A new piece of research published today May 11 by the journal Foods and led by Keri Szejda, PhD, surveyed a large, representative sample of 2,018 US and 2,034 UK consumers, regarding openness to cell-cultured meat. The results strongly suggest that cell-cultured meat is likely to make up a major part of consumers’ future diets.
Although the majority of consumers surveyed were not familiar with the concept of cell cultivated meat, upon being presented with a description, the respondents, on average, imagined that it could likely make up about 40% of their future meat intake, with conventional meat constituting around 60%.
In terms of age group, the study found that 87-89% of Gen Z adults, 84-85% of Millennials, 76-77% of Gen X, and 70-74% of Boomers were at least somewhat open to trying cultivated meat. In the US and the UK, 40% of consumers were “very” or “extremely likely” to try cell-cultured meat, with this group being categorized as the “early majority” group. Of this group, an overwhelming 98-99% of them said they would consider welcoming it as a regular item in their shopping basket. The vast majority of the early majority are omnivores (94-95%) who consume meat 2-3 times per day in a typical week.
“In order to turn this expected acceptance into actual consumption patterns over time, it is critical to develop the right products, based on the right solutions,” says Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, which commissioned the research. “In the long term, Aleph Farms’ vision is to provide a better alternative to industrial livestock farming, which represents approximately 70% of global meat production today.”
“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. These groups tend to embrace change and need little encouragement to try new food innovations,” notes Szejda, PhD, Founder and Principal Research Scientist of North Mountain Consulting Group. “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.”
Sociodemographic analyses comparing the early majority groups to the general population suggest that the early majority are more often younger (Gen Z or Millennials), male, more liberal, and more educated. In the US and the UK, an average of 77% of Gen X and 74% of Boomers were open to trying it, in comparison to 85% of Millennials, and 89% of Gen Z.
“In contrast to the younger eager adopters, the older generations are more wary of change,” explains Toubia. “Social proof is important to them and they want to be assured that a product is safe, functional, and beneficial before they adopt it. This is why transparency and trust are cornerstones of our company,” concludes Toubia.
To learn more about cellular agriculture and cultivated meat, visit: https://www.whatiscultivatedmeat.com/
[1] Szejda, K.; Bryant, C.J.; Urbanovich, T. US and UK Consumer Adoption of Cultivated Meat: A Segmentation Study. Foods 2021, 10. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/5/1050
