Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries
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Publication Date: | 2022 |
Other Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | eng |
Source: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
Download full: | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/8634 |
Summary: | In recent years, edible insects have been suggested as an alternative food that is more sustainable compared with other sources of animal protein. However, knowledge about the sustainability aspects associated with this source of food may play a role in convincing consumers to adopt insects as part of their diet. In this context, the present study investigated the level of knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects in a group of people originating from 14 countries, with some naturally entomophagous and others not. To measure the knowledge, 11 items were selected and the scores obtained were tested with statistical tools (t-test for independent samples, analysis of variance—ANOVA) to search for differences according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, geographical origin, and consumption habits of edible insects. The obtained results showed that, in general, knowledge is moderate, with the values of the average scores for the 11 items investigated ranging from 0.23 ± 0.99 to 0.66 ± 1.02, on a scale ranging from −2 (=very low knowledge) to 2 (=very high knowledge). The highest scores were found for items relating to the lower use of animal feed and lower emission of greenhouse gases required for the production of insects compared with beef. When investigating the differences between groups of participants, significant differences were generally found, revealing a trend for higher knowledge among males and young adults, for participants residing in urban areas and in countries such as Spain, Mexico, and Poland, and for participants with higher education levels and higher incomes. When testing the influence of consumption variables on the level of knowledge, the results showed a higher knowledge for participants who had already consumed insects or are willing to consume them. Finally, it was observed that higher knowledge was found for participants whose motivation to consume insects related to curiosity, a wish to preserve the planet, the gastronomic characteristics of insects, and their nutritional value. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate a very marked influence of a number of variables on the knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects, and this may be helpful to delineate strategies to effectively raise knowledge and eventually increase the willingness to consider insects as a more sustainable alternative to partially replace other protein foods, even in countries where this is a not a traditional practice. |
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Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countriesEdible insectsMinimize wasteSustainabilitySociodemographic characteristicsSocioeconomic variablesCountry differencesMotivationIn recent years, edible insects have been suggested as an alternative food that is more sustainable compared with other sources of animal protein. However, knowledge about the sustainability aspects associated with this source of food may play a role in convincing consumers to adopt insects as part of their diet. In this context, the present study investigated the level of knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects in a group of people originating from 14 countries, with some naturally entomophagous and others not. To measure the knowledge, 11 items were selected and the scores obtained were tested with statistical tools (t-test for independent samples, analysis of variance—ANOVA) to search for differences according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, geographical origin, and consumption habits of edible insects. The obtained results showed that, in general, knowledge is moderate, with the values of the average scores for the 11 items investigated ranging from 0.23 ± 0.99 to 0.66 ± 1.02, on a scale ranging from −2 (=very low knowledge) to 2 (=very high knowledge). The highest scores were found for items relating to the lower use of animal feed and lower emission of greenhouse gases required for the production of insects compared with beef. When investigating the differences between groups of participants, significant differences were generally found, revealing a trend for higher knowledge among males and young adults, for participants residing in urban areas and in countries such as Spain, Mexico, and Poland, and for participants with higher education levels and higher incomes. When testing the influence of consumption variables on the level of knowledge, the results showed a higher knowledge for participants who had already consumed insects or are willing to consume them. Finally, it was observed that higher knowledge was found for participants whose motivation to consume insects related to curiosity, a wish to preserve the planet, the gastronomic characteristics of insects, and their nutritional value. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate a very marked influence of a number of variables on the knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects, and this may be helpful to delineate strategies to effectively raise knowledge and eventually increase the willingness to consider insects as a more sustainable alternative to partially replace other protein foods, even in countries where this is a not a traditional practice.This work was funded by the CERNAS Research Centre (Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Portugal) in the ambit of the project EISuFood (Ref. CERNAS-IPV/2020/003). We also received funding from the FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal) through projects Ref. UIDB/00681/2020, UIDB/05507/2020, and UIDB/007421/2020. The APC was funded by FCT through projects Ref. UIDB/00681/2020, UIDB/05507/2020, and UIDB/007421/2020.: This work was funded by the CERNAS Research Centre (Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Portugal) in the ambit of the project EISuFood (Ref. CERNAS-IPV/2020/003). We also received funding from the FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal) through projects Ref. UIDB/00681/2020, UIDB/05507/2020, and UIDB/007421/2020. The APC was funded by FCT through projects Ref. UIDB/00681/2020, UIDB/05507/2020, and UIDB/007421/2020.Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo BrancoGuiné, Raquel P. F.Florença, Sofia G.Anjos, O.Boustani, NadaChuck-Hernández, CristinaSarić, Marijana MatekFerreira, ManuelaCosta, Cristina A.Bartkiene, ElenaCardoso, Ana PaulaTarcea, MonicaCorreia, Paula M.R.Campos, SofiaPapageorgiou, MariaAbarquero Camino, DanielKorzeniowska, MalgorzataČernelič-Bizjak, MašaKruma, ZandaDamarli, EmelFerreira, VanessaDjekic, Ilija2023-08-30T16:27:01Z20222022-01-01T00:00:00Zinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/8634engGUINÉ, Raquel P.F. [et al.] (2022) - Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries. Sustainability. 21,14, p. 14125. DOI: 10.3390/su14211412510.3390/su142114125info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2024-02-10T01:48:52Zoai:repositorio.ipcb.pt:10400.11/8634Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T20:28:04.932877Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries |
title |
Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries |
spellingShingle |
Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries Guiné, Raquel P. F. Edible insects Minimize waste Sustainability Sociodemographic characteristics Socioeconomic variables Country differences Motivation |
title_short |
Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries |
title_full |
Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries |
title_fullStr |
Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries |
title_full_unstemmed |
Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries |
title_sort |
Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries |
author |
Guiné, Raquel P. F. |
author_facet |
Guiné, Raquel P. F. Florença, Sofia G. Anjos, O. Boustani, Nada Chuck-Hernández, Cristina Sarić, Marijana Matek Ferreira, Manuela Costa, Cristina A. Bartkiene, Elena Cardoso, Ana Paula Tarcea, Monica Correia, Paula M.R. Campos, Sofia Papageorgiou, Maria Abarquero Camino, Daniel Korzeniowska, Malgorzata Černelič-Bizjak, Maša Kruma, Zanda Damarli, Emel Ferreira, Vanessa Djekic, Ilija |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Florença, Sofia G. Anjos, O. Boustani, Nada Chuck-Hernández, Cristina Sarić, Marijana Matek Ferreira, Manuela Costa, Cristina A. Bartkiene, Elena Cardoso, Ana Paula Tarcea, Monica Correia, Paula M.R. Campos, Sofia Papageorgiou, Maria Abarquero Camino, Daniel Korzeniowska, Malgorzata Černelič-Bizjak, Maša Kruma, Zanda Damarli, Emel Ferreira, Vanessa Djekic, Ilija |
author2_role |
author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author |
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv |
Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Guiné, Raquel P. F. Florença, Sofia G. Anjos, O. Boustani, Nada Chuck-Hernández, Cristina Sarić, Marijana Matek Ferreira, Manuela Costa, Cristina A. Bartkiene, Elena Cardoso, Ana Paula Tarcea, Monica Correia, Paula M.R. Campos, Sofia Papageorgiou, Maria Abarquero Camino, Daniel Korzeniowska, Malgorzata Černelič-Bizjak, Maša Kruma, Zanda Damarli, Emel Ferreira, Vanessa Djekic, Ilija |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
Edible insects Minimize waste Sustainability Sociodemographic characteristics Socioeconomic variables Country differences Motivation |
topic |
Edible insects Minimize waste Sustainability Sociodemographic characteristics Socioeconomic variables Country differences Motivation |
description |
In recent years, edible insects have been suggested as an alternative food that is more sustainable compared with other sources of animal protein. However, knowledge about the sustainability aspects associated with this source of food may play a role in convincing consumers to adopt insects as part of their diet. In this context, the present study investigated the level of knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects in a group of people originating from 14 countries, with some naturally entomophagous and others not. To measure the knowledge, 11 items were selected and the scores obtained were tested with statistical tools (t-test for independent samples, analysis of variance—ANOVA) to search for differences according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, geographical origin, and consumption habits of edible insects. The obtained results showed that, in general, knowledge is moderate, with the values of the average scores for the 11 items investigated ranging from 0.23 ± 0.99 to 0.66 ± 1.02, on a scale ranging from −2 (=very low knowledge) to 2 (=very high knowledge). The highest scores were found for items relating to the lower use of animal feed and lower emission of greenhouse gases required for the production of insects compared with beef. When investigating the differences between groups of participants, significant differences were generally found, revealing a trend for higher knowledge among males and young adults, for participants residing in urban areas and in countries such as Spain, Mexico, and Poland, and for participants with higher education levels and higher incomes. When testing the influence of consumption variables on the level of knowledge, the results showed a higher knowledge for participants who had already consumed insects or are willing to consume them. Finally, it was observed that higher knowledge was found for participants whose motivation to consume insects related to curiosity, a wish to preserve the planet, the gastronomic characteristics of insects, and their nutritional value. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate a very marked influence of a number of variables on the knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects, and this may be helpful to delineate strategies to effectively raise knowledge and eventually increase the willingness to consider insects as a more sustainable alternative to partially replace other protein foods, even in countries where this is a not a traditional practice. |
publishDate |
2022 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2022 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z 2023-08-30T16:27:01Z |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
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article |
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publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/8634 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/8634 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
GUINÉ, Raquel P.F. [et al.] (2022) - Are consumers aware of sustainability aspects related to edible insects? Results from a study involving 14 countries. Sustainability. 21,14, p. 14125. DOI: 10.3390/su142114125 10.3390/su142114125 |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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openAccess |
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application/pdf |
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Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
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RCAAP |
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Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
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Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
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