Consumer attitudes to cultivated meat: overview
- Consumer attitudes to cultivated meat remain mixed and still developing
- Around half of European consumers are willing to try it
- Taste texture and price expectations strongly influence future purchasing decisions
- Concerns about naturalness, health risks and artificiality limit consumer acceptance
- Lack of world experience means messaging shapes trust before market launch
Cultivated meat, or ‘lab-grown meat’ as it is known to the public (much to the chagrin of its creators), is not currently on the market. Yet it has long been a topic of conversation.
Of course, attitudes are still forming because it is not yet on the market. No European country has yet given it regulatory approval, so most European consumers have yet to try it. This means that their opinions are based on anticipation rather than experience.
Nevertheless, it has already attracted intense debate. Countries such as Italy have put bans in place on its production even before it’s been approved for sale, and farmers have shown scepticism towards its potential to put the control of agriculture in the hands of corporations.
But the biggest question is, will people actually buy it once it reaches the market? What do consumers think of cultivated meat?
Are consumers ready to try cultivated meat?
Of course, most consumers do not have an opinion about how cultivated meat actually tastes (although a few do). For most, willingness to try is the main indicator of their views.
In a survey last year by consumer group Euroconsumers, willingness to try cultivated meat was found to be roughly split down the middle: 56% of Spanish respondents were willing to try, 53% in Portugal, 47% in Italy and 44% in Belgium.
Enthusiasm was concentrated in consumers who were already reducing meat consumption, the survey found. However, around 43% of respondents who hadn’t reduced meat consumption were also willing to try.
Nearly half of consumers said that they would only buy it if it had the same taste and structure as animal meat.
About 47% made it clear that they expected cultivated meat to be cheaper than its animal equivalent, and only 15% would consider buying it if it were more expensive.
How do consumers perceive cultivated meat?
Perceptions of cultivated meat are still forming, but many already have strong opinions. Often framed as ‘frankenfood’, its origin in the lab clashes hard with trends towards naturalness and traditional eating, which have also negatively influenced enthusiasm for plant-based meat.
“Many of the same concerns around processing and naturalness that weigh on plant-based meat also show up in attitudes to cultivated meat,” says Mintel Insights, part of consumer analytics platform Mintel.
Consumers tend to view cultivated meat as artificial, which can affect consumer interest even if the product is framed as sustainable or ethical.
Health is another factor. In the Euroconsumers survey, just over half of consumers were worried about the long-term health risks that eating cultivated meat could pose. However, even among those that said they would not try it, around 29% would reconsider if it was good for their health.
Does its novelty present an advantage?
For most consumers, cultivated meat remains a mystery. Could this be an advantage to its success?
Well, yes and no. The effect that this has on consumer acceptance of cultivated meat is complex.
On the one hand, it’s working against mass acceptance because brands must rely exclusively on messaging, explains Mintel Insights.
“Without real-world trial, producers must win consumers over via messaging alone, and while labelling may build trust for some, it could discourage others from purchasing at this stage.”
However, this could also work to their advantage, allowing them to develop trust.
“Brands have a window where the priority is consumer education and trust-building before launch,” says Mintel Insights.
So while it forces brands to rely on messaging to appeal to consumers, it also allows them control of the narrative.
Overall, attitudes towards cultivated meat diverge significantly. There isn’t exactly widespread enthusiasm, but neither is it something that people are universally repelled by. The conversation continues to evolve.
