Investigating the coexistence of psychological drivers and deterrents of consumer acceptance of cultured meat hamburger patties

Consumers’ willingness to contribute to the development of sustainable food systems has led to a growth in the use of faux meat in producing hamburger patties. This study investigates whether consumers’ explicit and implicit perceptions of cultured meat will assist in encouraging the acceptance of cultured meat in this market. We measured consumers’ perceptions using opinion statements and the level of agreement was ranked on a Likert scale. Composite indices were extracted from this data and these were regressed against consumers’ willingness to try cultured meat burger patties. The study found that the implicit perceptions (worldviews) promoted both neophobic and neophilic attitudes while explicit (product-specific) perceptions indicated that consumers’ rejection may be driven by concerns of anticipated social, cultural and economic disruptions. The study’s results suggest tactful marketing approaches that can utilise implicit perceptions to promote consumer acceptance. Other results indicated the areas of concern that should be addressed to facilitate acceptance and the population groups that could be targeted as early adopters.