Italy alt-protein attitudes overview
- Italian consumers generally prefer familiar, natural foods over alternatives
- Plant-based proteins achieve highest acceptance, with 69% having tried them
- Curiosity strongly influences willingness to try innovative protein products
- Cultivated meat and insects face scepticism, health concerns and disgust
- Familiarity builds trust, while tradition can hinder protein adoption
The relationship between Italy and alternative proteins has not always been cordial.
Research suggests that Italian consumers prioritise natural, minimally-processed options, and this preference has limited the appeal of plant-based meat, which is often perceived as ultra-processed.
Meanwhile, the Italian government has taken a stance against cultivated meat, banning its production within the country.
Yet consumer attitudes towards alt-proteins are not wholly negative. A new study in the journal Food Quality and Preference explores the complexities behind Italy’s attitude to protein alternatives and other ‘innovative foods’ such as 3-D printed foods and algae-based foods.
Italian food culture is world-renowned. Italians devote among the highest amounts of time to meals in Europe, according to the study. Such a food culture is often seen as a clash with alt-proteins. But is it really?
Plant-based proteins are comparatively accepted
Italian consumers were found to be more accepting of plant-based proteins, such as plant-based meat, than other types of alt-protein.
Plant-based protein products were the most familiar of the categories studied. Unlike all the other products assessed, plant-based proteins had been consumed at least once by the majority (69%) of respondents.
These products were more heavily associated with happiness than many of the other foods assessed, as well as emotions like desire and enthusiasm.
While plant-based proteins were familiar to consumers, curiosity was also found to be essential for a consumer to accept an innovative food product.
Strong resistance towards cultivated meat and insect protein
Cultivated meat and insect protein saw much greater resistance from Italian consumers.
These foods were much less familiar to them than plant-based proteins. Over half (57%) had never tasted cultivated meat and 33.7% had never heard of it. Meanwhile, 60.3% had never tasted insect-based products and 32.5% had never heard of them.
Both cultivated meat and insect protein were also perceived as unhealthy, and associated with high levels of perceived health risks.
Insects were the least accepted out of all food types the study surveyed. More than any other type of food, insects were associated with disgust.
Tradition and novelty
The researchers suggest that the negative attitudes many consumers felt towards some of the alt-protein products assessed may be, at least in part, linked to Italy’s food culture.
Attachment to tradition, the study suggests, may reduce openness to unfamiliar food innovations, even when these are developed with environmental sustainability in mind.
Previous studies have suggested Italian consumers often place their trust in family, local producers and familiar brands rather than institutions or governments, potentially explaining why cultivated meat, which is produced largely by tech start-ups, cannot generate a high level of confidence.
Yet attitudes were not only driven by culture. Demographics as well were correlated with choice. Women and older consumers were found to be much more sceptical about innovative products, whereas men and younger consumers were more open to such foods.
While those with higher education and greater household income were also found to be more open-minded towards innovative foods, even those with higher education remained relatively cautious towards these foods.
Nevertheless, the study showed clearly that plant-based proteins, despite being viewed around the world as ultra-processed, can perform well among consumers once they are familiar. With familiarity, it seems, comes trust.