Promoting the consumption of insect-based foods: The role of information, protein-based nutrition claims, and dietary styles

Abstract

Although insects have been approved as novel foods since 2021, European consumers’ willingness to purchase insect-based (IB) foods remains low. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of (i) information treatments highlighting either the safety or environmental benefits of IB ingredients, and (ii) protein-based nutrition claims in promoting the consumption of IB foods. Additionally, we investigated how vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, and omnivores differ in their entomophagy attitudes and choice behavior. We collected data from 844 German consumers via an online questionnaire that included a choice experiment featuring bread made with insect flour. Our findings highlight differences in entomophagy attitudes by diet, with vegetarians, and vegans showing a stronger aversion to insect consumption compared with omnivores and flexitarians. Results from random parameters logit models indicate that the information treatments had no effect and that the majority of consumers, regardless of their diet, would require a discount to buy bread made with insect flour. Protein-based nutrition claims only promoted the purchase of IB bread by vegetarians.