Cultured meat: A survey of awareness among Greek consumers

Andriana E. Lazou; Panagiota-Kyriaki Revelou; Spiridoula Kougioumtzoglou; Irini F. Strati; Anastasia Kanellou; Anthimia Batrinou; Andriana E. Lazou; Panagiota-Kyriaki Revelou; Spiridoula Kougioumtzoglou; Irini F. Strati; Anastasia Kanellou; Anthimia Batrinou

doi:10.3934/agrfood.2024021

AIMS Agriculture and Food

2024, Volume 9, Issue 1: 356-373. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2024021

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Research article Special Issues

Cultured meat: A survey of awareness among Greek consumers

1.
Laboratory of Chemistry, Analysis & Design of Food Processes, Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Sciences, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
2.
Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens EU-CONEXUS European University, 11855 Athens, Greece
3.
Laboratory of Quality Control & Safety of Foods and Drinks, Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Sciences, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
^# Equally contributing authors

Received: 01 December 2023 Revised: 02 February 2024 Accepted: 26 February 2024 Published: 13 March 2024

As the technology of cultured meat continues to evolve and reach the market, it is important to understand the dynamics of consumer attitudes and preferences in order to provide insights into the potential adoption of cultured meat in Europe. Our aim was to explore the attitudes of Greek consumers, via an online survey addressed to 1230 consumers. The results revealed that only 39.35% of participants in this survey were aware of the term "cultured meat", but 55.69% would be willing to try it with the group of young (18–25 years old) being more willing to try compared to > 25 years old and also male and graduates. Among the perceived benefits, the first rated benefit was the contribution to animal welfare, followed by the lower environmental impact of cultured meat. The highest concerns about the potential negative consequences of cultured meat were about the unknown long-term adverse health effects and about a negative impact on the local livestock producers. Most of the respondents (80.73%) agreed that cultured meat is an artificial product. In conclusion, our results revealed a level of skepticism and reservations regarding cultured meat among Greek consumers and addressing public concerns might be especially important to increase public acceptance of cultured meat.
- animal welfare,
- attitudes,
- cultured meat,
- environmental impact,
- preferences,
- survey
Citation: Andriana E. Lazou, Panagiota-Kyriaki Revelou, Spiridoula Kougioumtzoglou, Irini F. Strati, Anastasia Kanellou, Anthimia Batrinou. Cultured meat: A survey of awareness among Greek consumers[J]. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 2024, 9(1): 356-373. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2024021

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Abstract

As the technology of cultured meat continues to evolve and reach the market, it is important to understand the dynamics of consumer attitudes and preferences in order to provide insights into the potential adoption of cultured meat in Europe. Our aim was to explore the attitudes of Greek consumers, via an online survey addressed to 1230 consumers. The results revealed that only 39.35% of participants in this survey were aware of the term "cultured meat", but 55.69% would be willing to try it with the group of young (18–25 years old) being more willing to try compared to > 25 years old and also male and graduates. Among the perceived benefits, the first rated benefit was the contribution to animal welfare, followed by the lower environmental impact of cultured meat. The highest concerns about the potential negative consequences of cultured meat were about the unknown long-term adverse health effects and about a negative impact on the local livestock producers. Most of the respondents (80.73%) agreed that cultured meat is an artificial product. In conclusion, our results revealed a level of skepticism and reservations regarding cultured meat among Greek consumers and addressing public concerns might be especially important to increase public acceptance of cultured meat.

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