Which factors influence consumers’ willingness to eat insects? To answer this question, Fonty University of Applied Sciences, a partner of ValuSect’s consortium, conducted a survey among more than 200 German and Dutch university students.
In general, insects as feed were more easily accepted than insect-based human food products. 84% of the students agreed to used insects as animal feed, while only 48% of the students were willing to include insects in human food.
Concerning insects as food, Fontys found that the students’ acceptance seems to be driven by the visual aspect of the insect, and their knowledge about its potential benefits.
As a conclusion, the study highlights the need to inform and educate consumers about the environmental and health benefits of entomophagy.
The same survey will later be conducted in Switzerland to compare the results.
You can read the entire study here:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fsn3.2006