Voinea, Lelia; Popescu, Do in Vicenţiu; Neg ea, Teodo Mihai; Dina, Răz an
A icle
Cul u ed mea : F om scien i ic challenge o consume
accep ance as sus ainable ood sou ce
Am i ea u Economic
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Voinea, Lelia; Popescu, Do in Vicenţiu; Neg ea, Teodo Mihai; Dina, Răz an
(2024) : Cul u ed mea : F om scien i ic challenge o consume accep ance as sus ainable ood
sou ce, Am i ea u Economic, ISSN 2247-9104, The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies,
Bucha es , Vol. 26, Iss. 65, pp. 346-362,
h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2024/65/346
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/281825
S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen:
Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen
Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den.
Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle
Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich
machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen.
So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen
(insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en,
gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do
genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e.
Te ms o use:
Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal
and schola ly pu poses.
You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o
exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he
in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public.
I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en
Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise
u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence.
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
AE
Cul u ed Mea – F om Scien i ic Challenge o Consume Accep ance
as Sus ainable Food Sou ce
346 Am i ea u Economic
CULTURED MEAT – FROM SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGE TO CONSUMER
ACCEPTANCE AS SUSTAINABLE FOOD SOURCE
Lelia Voinea1, Do in Vicențiu Popescu2, Teodo Mihai Neg ea3
and Răz an Dina4
*
1)2)3)4) Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies, Romania
Please ci e his a icle as:
Voinea, L., Popescu, D.V., Neg ea, T.M. and Dina,
R., 2024. Cul u ed Mea – F om Scien i ic Challenge
o Consume Accep ance as Sus ainable Food Sou ce.
Am i ea u Economic, 26(65), pp. 346-362.
h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2024/65/346
A icle His o y
Recei ed: 25 Sep embe 2023
Re ised: 24 No embe 2023
Accep ed: 20 Decembe 2023
Abs ac
Cul u ed mea ob ained in i o om animal cells ep esen s one o he ecen conce ns o
specialis s, who hus y o sol e pa o he issues ela ed o animal wel a e and sus ainable
mea p oduc ion. Beyond he echnical di icul ies ha mus be o e come, he accep ance o
cul u ed mea by consume s is no an easy goal o achie e, as i depends on ac o s ac ing
bo h a he global and local le els. Since his pape ocuses on Romanian consume s, he
au ho s emphasize he impo ance o de eloping a gene al in o ma ion amewo k ha would
allow i s hei unde s anding and u he hei accep ance o cul u ed mea . Fo his pu pose,
a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew, based on 34 a icles, was ca ied ou in o de o obse e good
p ac ices a in e na ional le el, which led, in he pas , o he accep ance o o he signi ican
inno a ions in he ood ield. Thus, i e di ec ions o ac ion we e iden i ied: communica ion,
knowledge, us , pe cep ion, and a i udes. Based on hese, a model o cul u ed mea
accep ance by Romanian was de eloped. This ini ia i e is unique in Romania so a and i s
esul s can be o in e es o Romanian consume s and also o many ca ego ies o specialis s,
om schola s and esea che s o p ac i ione s in e es ed in launching new p oduc s on he
ma ke o policymake s in he ield o nu i ion, public heal h, and ag icul u e. Fu he
esea ch is needed on he ela ionships be ween ood secu i y and sa e y, adi ional mea
p oduc ion, and cul u ed mea as an al e na i e o eal mea , be o e he ma ke place launch
o his new p oduc .
Keywo ds: cul u ed mea , Romanian consume s, model o consume accep ance o cul u ed
mea , sus ainable ood consump ion
JEL Classi ica ion: D12, D18, M31, O33, I12
*
Co esponding au ho , Răz an Dina – e-mail: [email p o ec ed]
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion License, which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in
any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. © 2024 The Au ho (s).
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
AE
Vol. 26 • No. 65 • Feb ua y 2024 347
In oduc ion
Mea o e consump ion, especially he ed one, speci ic o nowadays’ Wes e n die has had a
nega i e impac bo h on en i onmen and consume s’ heal h (Allie i, Vinna i and
Luukkanen, 2015; De G aa , 2019). Indeed, i is widely accep ed ha ood o animal o igin
has a g ea e impac on he en i onmen han ood o plan o igin, since i emi s highe
amoun s o g eenhouse gases (GHGs), equi es mo e soil and ni ogen, and a ec s e es ial
and aqua ic biodi e si y. F om an en i onmen al pe spec i e, mea is conside ed he mos
ha m ul o m o ood consump ion o all oods o animal o igin (Aus gulen e al., 2018). In
addi ion, mea , alongside o he ene gy- ich oods, is an impo an ac o in he wide sp ead
o non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as ype 2 diabe es, co ona y diseases, obesi y,
cance (Pieniak e al., 2016; Bobe, P ocopie and Bucu , 2019). An o e consump ion o mea
pa icula ly a ec s he ho monal, he immuni y, and he diges i e sys ems, mainly because
he mea p oduced on a la ge scale, in indus ial condi ions, has, in mos o he cases,
ho mones and an ibio ics. In his con ex , he ansi ion owa d a low-mea die appea s o be
he igh choice om a human heal h, animal wel a e and en i onmen al p o ec ion poin o
iew. On he basis o his inc eased call o educe mea consump ion, a new end o indus ial
mea subs i u es has eme ged, whe e cul u ed mea o lab-g own mea , which ep esen s he
ocus o ou esea ch, is a pa o .
Cul u ed mea (also called lab-g own mea , cul i a ed mea , a i icial mea o in i o mea )
is an inno a i e p oduc o cellula ag icul u e, ob ained om s em cells, which, a e being
aken om animals h ough a small biopsy o muscle issue, a e placed in a special nu ien -
ich medium in a bio- eac o independen om he animal o p omo e g ow h (Pos , 2012;
Ben-A ye and Le enbe g, 2019).
Al hough i is no ye a ailable o consume s, cul u ed mea is desc ibed in ecen li e a u e
as ha ing posi i e e ec s in se e al di ec ions, such as: en i onmen al sus ainabili y (because
i would educe g eenhouse gas emissions om ag icul u e while using signi ican ly less
wa e and less land), animal wel a e (because i is p oduced wi hou he need o animals o
be aised and slaugh e ed), ood sa e y (because i would be less suscep ible o an ibio ic
esis ance and o zoono ic diseases sp ead), and wo ld hunge issue (because i would p e en
mea becoming a luxu y ood o mos consume s) (Pos , 2012; Sinke e al., 2023). Thus,
cul u ed mea appea s o ha e he po en ial o add ess he main challenges ha mea indus y
is cu en ly acing, p o iding po en ially heal hie , e hical, sus ainable, and mo e e icien
al e na i e o con en ionally p oduced mea . Bu cul u ed mea also comes wi h d awbacks;
he mos equen ly epo ed in he scien i ic li e a u e e e o he sa e y conce ns gene a ed
by he use o a po en ially con amina ed animal se um in he cul u e medium (Alexande e
al., 2017), he highe ene gy use in cul u ed mea p oduc ion because some biological
unc ions a e eplaced by echnological p ocesses (Mun eanu e al., 2021) and he po en ial
pe cep ion o in i o echnology as unna u al and in e e ing oo much wi h na u e
(Laes adius, 2015; S ephens e al., 2018). Mo eo e , Ch iki and Hocque e (2020) no iced
he ague s a us o cul u ed mea om a eligious poin o iew, i s compliance wi h ce ain
die a y laws (e.g., Koshe o Jewish consume s o Halal o Islamic consume s) being s ill
deba able.
Because he success o new oods and ood echnologies depend o a conside able ex en on
whe he consume s accep hose inno a ions (Fische and Reinde s, 2022; Socaciu e al.,
2022) and gi en he endency o people o be eluc an o adop ood inno a ions, pe cei ing
hem as oo indus ial, unna u al o “ ake” (EIT Food T us Repo , 2021), consume
AE
Cul u ed Mea – F om Scien i ic Challenge o Consume Accep ance
as Sus ainable Food Sou ce
348 Am i ea u Economic
accep ance o cul u ed mea is an issue ha equi es u he a en ion. Due o i s no el y,
consume accep ance is ex emely impo an o cul u ed mea , because, as Laes adius (2015)
poin ed ou , wi hou i he e migh be a p oduc bu no a ma ke .
Al hough he e is abundan in o ma ion in scien i ic li e a u e ega ding he ad anced
echnological aspec s o cul u ed mea , signi ican ly li le esea ch has been done wi h ega d
o i s accep ance by consume s. Howe e , he e a e o be men ioned he s udies o Laes adius
(2015), Ve beke e al. (2015), S ephens e al. (2018), B yan and Ba ne (2020) and Sieg is
and Ha mann (2020) ha in es iga ed consume s’ eac ions owa ds cul u ed mea in he
ea ly s age o p oduc de elopmen . Al hough consume s seemed open o y cul u ed mea ,
he common insigh s p o ided by hese s udies showed eelings o disgus and conside a ions
o unna u alness exhibi ed by consume s and highligh ed consume accep ance as impo an
issues ela ed o he comme cial success o cul u ed mea .
In Romania, alongside consume s’ na u al endency o eluc ance owa ds ood no el y,
ano he impo an obs acle in he accep ance o cul u ed mea could be he p i ileged s a us
o na u al mea in local ood cul u e, emphasised by he high sha e o mea -based p oduc s
and dishes in he adi ional pa e n o ood consump ion (Voinea e al., 2020).
Because, o he au ho s’ knowledge, he e is no esea ch add essing he issue o consume
accep ance o cul u ed mea in Romania un il now, he aim o p esen pape is o ill his gap
by designing a gene al amewo k o consume accep ance which will con ibu e o a co ec
unde s anding o cul u ed mea be o e i s comme cial elease. The e o e, o iden i y
examples o good p ac ices success ully used in he pas in simila si ua ions, a e iew o he
specialised li e a u e was ca ied ou . This allowed us o selec i e di ec ions o ac ion as a
basis o designing he model o cul u ed mea accep ance. This app oach, unique in Romania
so a , can be use ul o consume s, specialis s, and o he decision-make s in he ield o
nu i ion, public heal h, o ag icul u e.
Al hough pape ’s he o ic is ocused on cul u ed mea , ou s udy should no be ega ded as a
pleading o ag icul u e ansi ion o cul u ed mea p oduc ion as he p ima y solu ion o he
sus ainable die o he u u e and o cul u ed mea as he bes al e na i e o con en ional
mea . The pape in ends o b ing o he o eg ound he need o in o m and educa e consume s
so ha when he p oduc will be a ailable on he ma ke , hey can make an in o med pu chase
decision.
The s udy begins wi h an in oduc o y sec ion p o iding some backg ound elemen s and
p esen ing he gene al amewo k o con empo a y ood ha has led o he de elopmen o
cul u ed mea . I ems o p e ious esea ch in he a ea a e also e iewed in his sec ion.
Fu he mo e, he me hodological app oach is p esen ed, emphasising he s eps ollowed in
conduc ing he s udy. Wi hin he nex sec ion, he esul s a e p esen ed and hei signi icance
is discussed. Finally, he e is a sec ion comp ising he conclusions o he s udy, and i s
implica ions.
1. Me hodology
As he main pu pose o ou s udy is o de elop a model o consume accep ance o cul u ed
mea , we conduc ed a sys ema ic e iew o he scien i ic li e a u e o unco e di e en bes
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
AE
Vol. 26 • No. 65 • Feb ua y 2024 349
p ac ices used o achie e consume accep ance o se e al p e ious ood inno a ions. Based
on he iden i ied p edic o s, we will u he build a model o consume accep ance o
cul u ed mea , he newes ood inno a ion ha consume s a e o deal wi h in he nea u u e.
The e iew ollowed he s eps ou lined in li e a u e (Khan e al., 2003; Dziopa and Ahe n,
2011; Xiao and Wa son, 2019): o mula ing he ques ion, iden i ying ele an publica ions,
assessing s udy quali y, summa ising he e idence, and in e p e ing he indings.
In he a emp o answe o he ques ion “Wha we e he p edic o s o consume accep ance
o p e ious signi ican ood inno a ions?”, we i s ly es ablished he ollowing ood
inno a ions as a eas o in e es o ou app oach: gene ic modi ica ion o ood, ood
i adia ion, en omophagy and ood nano echnology.
Nume ous a icles, empi ical s udies o e iew pape s, we e iden i ied in in e na ional
da abases, using key-wo ds such as: “accep ance o new oods”, “accep ance o new ood
echnologies”, “accep ance o bio echnology”, “accep ance o gene ically modi ied oods”,
“accep ance o ood i adia ion”, “accep ance o i adia ed oods”, “accep ance o edible
insec s”, “accep ance o nano echnology oods”. A numbe o 34 a icles om all hose
iden i ied we e selec ed as he mos sui able o he pu pose o ou esea ch, based on he
ollowing c i e ia: ocus on consume accep ance, p esen a ion o empi ical da a o indings
o he li e a u e e iew, publica ion in a pee - e iewed jou nal, publica ion in English
language. Then, he selec ed a icles we e g ouped in o i e ca ego ies, as ollows: gene ic
modi ica ion, ood i adia ion, en omophagy, he use o nano echnology, and new oods and
ood echnologies in gene al (Table no. 1). A summa y o he e idence was done o each
ca ego y om which a key-wo d p edic o o consume accep ance was ex ac ed.
Table no. 1. Resul s o he li e a u e e iew
No.
Food
inno a ion
S udy
Summa y o e idence
Key- ac o s
o consume
accep ance
1
New oods
and ood
echnologies
in gene al
F ewe , Howa d and
Shepe d (1995);
Sieg is (2007);
Cos a-Fon , Gil
and T aill (2008);
Shephe d (2008)
The way consume s will e alua e a
new ood p oduc depends on
e ec i e communica ion o bo h
angible bene i s and haza ds.
Communi-
ca ion
Sieg is , Gu sche and
Ea le (2005);
Mac eady e al. (2020);
Wu e al. (2021);
The EIT Food T us
Repo (2021)
Consume s end o ely on he
in o ma ion p o ided by expe s
(scien is s, au ho i ies, and indus y);
high le els o us educe he
pe cei ed isks.
T us
Alhakami and Slo ic
(1994); Rembische ski
and Caldas (2020);
Rabbanee, A oz
and Nase (2021)
Food echnologies ha a e judged
high in isk end o be judged low in
bene i , and ice e sa.
The
pe cep ion o
bene i s and
isks
Sieg is (2007); F ewe
e al. (2014); Román,
Sánchez-Siles
and Sieg is (2017);
Bea h and Sieg is
(2019)
Posi i e a i udes owa ds a new ood
o echnology a e associa ed wi h
a ou ing beha iou , while nega i e
a i udes a e associa ed wi h
a oidance beha iou .
A i udes
AE
Cul u ed Mea – F om Scien i ic Challenge o Consume Accep ance
as Sus ainable Food Sou ce
350 Am i ea u Economic
No.
Food
inno a ion
S udy
Summa y o e idence
Key- ac o s
o consume
accep ance
2
Gene ically
modi ied
oods
Hoban (1997);
By ne e al. (2002);
House e al. (2002)
Lusk and Sulli an
(2002); Cos a-Fon ,
Gil and T aill (2008);
Wunde lich and Ga o
(2015)
A posi i e co ela ion be ween
knowledge o bio echnology and
consume accep ance o gene ically
modi ied oods.
Knowledge
F ewe , Howa d
and Shepe d (1995)
The accep ance o gene ically
modi ied oods is la gely de e mined
by bo h pe cei ed isks and bene i s.
The
pe cep ion o
bene i s and
isks
Tenbül e al. (2005)
F ewe e al. (2014)
The mo e a p oduc was seen as
na u al by consume s, he less
accep able was i s gene ic enginee ed
e sion.
A i udes
Lusk and Sulli an
(2002); Cos a-Fon
and Gil (2009)
The accep ance o he gene ically
modi ied oods s a s om he us in
scien is s and in public au ho i ies, as
hey a e conside ed he mos eliable
sou ces.
T us
3
Edible
insec s
Lens el and
S eenbekke s (2014)
Wool e al. (2020)
Padulo e al. (2022)
Knowledge abou en omophagy is
posi i ely co ela ed wi h accep ance
and willingness o consume edible
insec s.
Knowledge
Ruby, Rozin and Chan
(2015)
Belie s abou he bene i s and isks o
ea ing insec s ep esen one o he
bes p edic o s o insec accep ance.
The
pe cep ion o
bene i s and
isks
4
Food
i adia ion
B uhn (1998); Oli ei a
and Saba o (2004)
Beh ens e al. (2009)
Knowledge is posi i ely co ela ed
wi h he accep ance o i adia ed
ood.
Knowledge
Sapp and Downing-
Ma ibag (2009)
Accep ance o i adia ed oods is a
unc ion o us in socie al
ins i u ions ha hey can manage
i adia ion echnology.
T us
Bo d and O'Conno
(1990); Bea h and
Sieg is (2019)
When ood i adia ion is pe cei ed as
a isky echnology, ewe bene i s
and mo e isks a e associa ed wi h
i adia ed oods
The
pe cep ion o
bene i s and
isks
5
Nano-
echnology
Besley (2010); Gomez-
Llo en e e al. (2022)
The mo e knowledge, he less ea o
nano echnology oods; awa eness is
associa ed wi h mo e posi i e iews
abou nano echnology
Knowledge
Gup a, F ewe
and Fische (2017)
Consume s end o ely o a g ea e
ex en on he in o ma ion p o ided by
expe s.
T us
Sieg is (2007);
S amp li, Sieg is
and Kas enholz (2010);
Besley (2010)
Willingness o buy nano echnology
oods is s ongly in luenced by
pe cei ed bene i s and weakly
in luenced by pe cei ed isks.
The
pe cep ion o
bene i s and
isks
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
AE
Vol. 26 • No. 65 • Feb ua y 2024 351
The e iew o he scien i ic li e a u e in he ield o ood inno a ions led o he iden i ica ion
o he ollowing key- ac o s o consume accep ance: communica ion, knowledge, us ,
pe cep ion o bene i s and isks and a i udes.
2. Resul s and discussions
The model o consume accep ance o cul u ed mea is designed o se e as an ins umen o
consume s in making in o med decision and o he ac o s in ood chain in app oaching he
cul u ed mea - ela ed communica ion s a egy.
Based on he esul s o he unde aken sys ema ic li e a u e e iew we buil up he cul u ed
mea accep ance model based on he ollowing d i e s: communica ion, knowledge, us ,
pe cep ion o bene i s and isks, and a i udes. (Figu e no. 1)
Figu e no.1. The cul u ed mea accep ance model
Communica ion
New echnologies enable inno a ions in he ood sec o . Since, in gene al, he bene i s
associa ed wi h an inno a ion in he ood o e a e no angible o consume s, hey mus be
explici ly communica ed o he la ge public. This has ne e been an easy ask, bu i is all he
mo e di icul when i comes o a speci ic echnology ha ends o e oke nega i e
associa ions in consume ’s mind (Sieg is , 2007, p. 240).
Acco ding o Cos a-Fon , Gil and T aill (2008), he way consume will e alua e a new ood
p oduc depends on e ec i e p o ision o in o ma ion ega ding i s ly i s angible bene i s
om se e al sou ces – public and p i a e, o mal and in o mal, e c. – being condi ioned a
he same ime by he c edibili y and us wo hiness o each ele an in o ma ion sou ce. Bu ,
alongside he bene i s, he d awbacks and haza ds ha e o be communica ed o he public as
well. F ewe , Howa d and Shephe d (1995) poin ed ou ha i is impo an he dialogue be
Pe cep ion
High
bene i s
High
isks
T us
A i ude
Accep ance Rejec ion
Knowledge
Communica ion
Posi i e a i ude
Posi i e pe cep ion Nega i e pe cep ion
Nega i e a i ude
AE
Cul u ed Mea – F om Scien i ic Challenge o Consume Accep ance
as Sus ainable Food Sou ce
352 Am i ea u Economic
es ablished be ween communica o s and he la ge public, in such way ha he add essed
issues e lec he eal conce ns o he public. Shephe d (2008) ad oca ed he in ol emen o
he public in he managemen o ood isk issues, ci ing he Fischho ‘s (1995) schema o
isk communica ion whe e consume s a e seen as pa ne s in his p ocess.
Based on p e ious communica ion expe ience ega ding ood inno a ions, we conside ha
an e ec i e communica ion abou cul u ed mea should ocus p ima ily on he bene i s,
emphasising i s po en ial o mimicking he senso y and nu i ional cha ac e is ics o na u al
mea , as well as i s posi i e impac on human heal h, animal wel a e, economic e iciency,
and en i onmen al sus ainabili y. Simila ly, isk messages should add ess speci ic conce ns
ela ed o ood sa e y, lack o na u alness, and ene gy use in o de o be mo e ele an o
Romanian consume s. In his p ocess, he main esponsibili y lies wi h he en ep eneu s in
he ood indus y, who should mainly ocus on p o iding co ec and hones da a on he
bene i s and isks o a i icial mea consump ion and no jus on i s exclusi ely comme cial
p omo ion.
Knowledge
Resea ch has shown ha consume knowledge o new p oduc s o echnologies co ela es
posi i ely wi h accep ance and willingness o consume hose p oduc s.
Fo example, p io esea ch on consume accep ance o edible insec s (Lens el and
S eenbekke s, 2014; Ruby, Rozin and Chan, 2015; Wool e al., 2021; Padulo e al., 2022)
demons a ed ha pa icipan s who a ended an educa ional session ha p o ided in o ma ion
abou en omophagy, ollowed by a cooking and as ing session o edible insec s, el mo e
knowledgeable abou en omophagy, which posi i ely co ela ed wi h accep ance and
willingness o consume edible insec s.
Se e al su eys ha ha e been ca ied ou wo ldwide (B uhn, 1998; Oli ei a and Saba o,
2004; Beh ens e al., 2009) o in es iga e consume s’ a i ude o ood i adia ion ound ou
ha knowledge is posi i ely co ela ed wi h accep ance o i adia ed ood. Gene ally, esul s
sugges ha when p o ided wi h science-based in o ma ion, people hold mo e posi i e
a i udes owa d ood i adia ion and end o a ou i adia ed ood.
The s udy o Gómez-Llo en e e al. (2022) on consume pe cep ion on he use o
nano echnology in he ag i- ood sec o , showed ha he mo e knowledge, he less ea o
nano echnology oods. This esona es wi h he indings o Besley (2010), who epo ed ha
awa eness is associa ed wi h mo e posi i e iews abou nano echnology.
The indings o a la ge numbe o s udies on consume accep ance o bio echnology and
gene ically modi ied oods (Hoban, 1997; By ne e al., 2002; Lusk and Sulli an, 2002; House
e al., 2004; Cos a-Fon and Gil, 2009; Wunde lich and Ga o, 2015) highligh ed a posi i e
co ela ion be ween knowledge o bio echnology and consume accep ance o gene ically
modi ied oods, since people wi h highe le els o scien i ic knowledge we e usually mo e
op imis ic abou bio echnology.
The same posi i e co ela ion was e ealed by Rolland, Ma kus and Pos (2020) in hei s udy
on he e ec o in o ma ion con en on he accep ance o cul u ed mea , as hey obse ed ha
p o ision o in o ma ion o pa icipan s, especially on pe sonal bene i s (wi h ega d o
p oduc sa e y) and socie al bene i s ( ela ed o educing en i onmen al impac , a oiding
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
AE
Vol. 26 • No. 65 • Feb ua y 2024 353
ha m o animals o educing wo ld hunge ), impo an ly imp o es accep ance and willingness
o as e. They concluded awa eness o cul u ed mea was he bes p edic o o i s accep ance.
Simila indings can be ound a B yan and Ba ne (2020) who a gued ha accep ance o
cul u ed mea could be inc eased wi h posi i e in o ma ion.
Gi en he p edominan ea ing beha iou in many a eas o he wo ld, including Romania,
cha ac e ised by a high consump ion o mea and mea -based p oduc s, we conside ha a
di ec ion o inc easing consume accep ance o cul u ed mea could be a s ong and well-
a gued emphasis on he po en ial o cul u ed mea o mimic he nu i ional alue o eal mea
om he ac o s in he ood sys em. In addi ion, as i has been p o en ha consume s’ high
le el o scien i ic knowledge plays a decisi e ole in building a a ou able a i ude owa ds
inno a i e ood p oduc s, we belie e ha academia, na ionally and in e na ionally ecognised
esea ch ins i u es, as well as expe s in he ield o ood sa e y a e he d i ing ac o s in he
ansi ion om a a ou able a i ude owa ds cul u ed mea o i s accep ance and u he
consump ion.
T us
Consume us is an impo an ac o in luencing he pe cep ion o ood inno a ion: he
pe cei ed isks as well as on pe cei ed bene i s. As long as accep ance o new oods and
willingness o buy hem is di ec ly de e mined by he pe cei ed isks and he pe cei ed
bene i s, us can be said o ha e an indi ec impac on he accep ance o new oods o new
ood echnologies (Sieg is , 2007, p. 242).
Bo h isks and bene i s, he la e being embodied in he cha ac e is ics o he new p oduc s,
such as heal h, sus ainabili y, o sa e y, since hey canno be e i ied by he a e age
consume , mus he e o e be communica ed by a c edible ac o in he ood chain (Mac eady
e al., 2020; EIT Food T us Repo , 2021; Wu e al., 2021). The e o e, as Gup a, F ewe and
Fische (2017) poin ed ou , when consume knowledge and expe ience on a new ood p oduc
and echnology a e limi ed, consume s end o ely o a g ea e ex en on he in o ma ion
p o ided by expe s.
As o he us wo hiness o di e en in o ma ion sou ces, Lusk and Sulli an (2002), in hei
s udy on consume accep ance o gene ically modi ied ood, claim ha consume s end o
us mo e he in o ma ion om go e nmen ins i u ions, such as USDA (Uni ed S a es
Depa men o Ag icul u e) o FDA (Food and D ug Adminis a ion), conside ing ha hese
ac o s a e much mo e likely o be c edible in dissemina ing impo an in o ma ion abou
bio echnology and gene ically modi ied oods han mass media and ag ibusiness indus y.
We ound simila indings in Cos a-Fon and Gil (2009), who showed he easoning p ocess
ha unde pins he accep ance o he gene ically modi ied oods depa s om us in scien is s
and in public au ho i ies.
The in luence o consume us in scien is s, au ho i ies, and indus y on consume
pe cep ion o isks and bene i s was s udied by Saba and Messina (2003) in ela ion o he
use o pes icides in ag icul u e, con i ming ha us had a posi i e influence on pe cei ed
benefi s and a nega i e influence on pe cei ed isks. The s udy o Sieg is , Gu sche and Ea le
(2005) emphasised ha us has an impac on he pe cep ion o new echnologies, in he
sense ha i exe s a nega i e in luence on he pe cep ion o isk. High le els o us educed
pe cei ed isks, compa ed o low le els o us .
AE
Cul u ed Mea – F om Scien i ic Challenge o Consume Accep ance
as Sus ainable Food Sou ce
360 Am i ea u Economic
F ewe , L.J., Howa d, C. and Shephe d, R., 1995. Gene ic enginee ing and ood: wha
de e mines consume accep ance? B i ish Food Jou nal, [e-jou nal] 97(8), pp. 31-36.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/00070709510100118.
F ewe , L.J. and Miles, S., 2003. Tempo al s abili y o he psychological de e minan s o
us : implica ions o communica ions abou ood isks. Heal h, Risk and Socie y,
[e-jou nal] 5(3), pp. 259-271. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13698570310001606969.
Gómez-Llo en e, H., He ás, P., Pé ez-Es e e, É., Ba a , J.M. and Fe nández-Sego ia, I.,
2022. Nano echnology in he ag i- ood sec o : Consume pe cep ions. NanoImpac ,
[e-jou nal] 26, a icle no. 100399. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.impac .2022.100399.
Gup a, N., F ewe , L.J. and Fische , A.R.H., 2017. Accep ance o Ag i-Food
Nano echnology: Insigh s om he E olu ion o Food Technology, No el Foods and he
Psychology o No el Food Accep ance and E idence om P esen Resea ch. In: Q.
Chaudh y, L. Cas le and R. Wa kins eds., 2017. Nano echnologies in ood. Nanoscience
& Nano echnology se ies, 2nd ed. London, UK: Royal Socie y o Chemis y, pp. 39-59.
Hoban, T.J., 1997. Consume accep ance o bio echnology: An in e na ional pe spec i e.
Na u e Bio echnology, [e-jou nal] 15(3), pp. 232-234. h ps://doi.o g/10.1038/nb 0397-
232.
House, L., Lusk, J.L., Jaege , S., T aill, W.B., Moo e, M., Valli, C., Mo ow, B. and Yee,
W.M.S., 2004. Objec i e And Subjec i e Knowledge: Impac s On Consume Demand Fo
Gene ically Modi ied Foods In The Uni ed S a es And The Eu opean Union. [online]
A ailable a : <h ps://doi.o g/10.22004/AG.ECON.20125> [Accessed 20 Augus 2023].
Khan, K.S., Kunz, R., Kleijnen, J. and An es, G., 2003. Fi e S eps o Conduc ing a
Sys ema ic Re iew. Jou nal o he Royal Socie y o Medicine, [e-jou nal] 96(3),
pp. 118-121. h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/014107680309600304.
Laes adius, L.I., 2015. Public Pe cep ions o he E hics o In- i o Mea : De e mining an
App op ia e Cou se o Ac ion. Jou nal o Ag icul u al and En i onmen al E hics,
[e-jou nal] 28(5), pp. 991-1009. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s10806-015-9573-8.
Lens el , E.J.S. and S eenbekke s, L.P.A., 2014. Explo ing Consume Accep ance o
En omophagy: A Su ey and Expe imen in Aus alia and he Ne he lands. Ecology o
Food and Nu i ion, [e-jou nal] 53(5), pp. 543-561. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/
03670244.2013.879865.
Lusk, J.L. and Sulli an, P., 2002. Consume Accep ance o Gene ically Modi ied Foods.
Food Technology Magazine, [online] A ailable a : <h ps://www.i .o g/news-and-
publica ions/ ood- echnology-magazine/issues/2002/oc obe / ea u es/consume -
accep ance-o -gene ically-modi ied- oods> [Accessed 5 No embe 2018].
Mac eady, A.L., Hieke, S., Klimczuk-Kochańska, M., Szumiał, S., V anken, L. and G une ,
K.G., 2020. Consume us in he ood alue chain and i s impac on consume
con idence: A model o assessing consume us and e idence om a 5-coun y s udy
in Eu ope. Food Policy, [e-jou nal] 92, a icle no. 101880.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. oodpol.2020.101880.
Mun eanu, C., Mi eşan, V., Răducu, C., Ihuţ, A., Uiuiu, P., Pop, D., Neacşu, A., Cena iu, M.
and G oza, I., 2021. Can Cul u ed Mea Be an Al e na i e o Fa m Animal P oduc ion o
a Sus ainable and Heal hie Li es yle? F on ie s in Nu i ion, [e-jou nal] 8, a icle no.
749298. h ps://doi.o g/10.3389/ nu .2021.749298.
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
AE
Vol. 26 • No. 65 • Feb ua y 2024 361
Oli ei a, I.B. and Saba o, S.F., 2004. Dissemina ion o he ood i adia ion p ocess on
di e en oppo uni ies in B azil. Radia ion Physics and Chemis y, [e-jou nal] 71(1-2),
pp. 495-499. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. adphyschem.2004.03.081.
Padulo, C., Ca lucci, L., Balsamo, M. and Fai ield, B., 2022. A dynamic hop o c icke
consump ion: ac o s in luencing willingness o y insec -based ood. Jou nal o Insec s
as Food and Feed, [e-jou nal] 8(10), pp. 1157-1168. h ps://doi.o g/10.3920/
JIFF2021.0112.
Piazza, J., Ruby, M.B., Loughnan, S., Luong, M., Kulik, J., Wa kins, H.M. and Seige man,
M., 2015. Ra ionalizing mea consump ion. The 4Ns. Appe i e, [e-jou nal] 91,
pp. 114-128. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.appe .2015.04.011.
Pieniak, Z., Żakowska-Biemans, S., Kos y a, E. and Raa s, M., 2016. Sus ainable heal hy
ea ing beha iou o young adul s: owa ds a no el me hodological app oach. BMC Public
Heal h, [e-jou nal] 16(1), a icle no. 577. h ps://doi.o g/10.1186/s12889-016-3260-1.
Pos , M.J., 2012. Cul u ed mea om s em cells: Challenges and p ospec s. Mea Science,
[e-jou nal] 92(3), pp. 297-301. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.mea sci.2012.04.008.
Pu că ea, T.V., O zan, G., O zan, M. and S oica, I., 2013. Romanian Consume Beha io
Rega ding T adi ional Foods: Con ibu ing o he Rebuilding o a Heal hie Food Cul u e.
Jou nal o Food P oduc s Ma ke ing, [e-jou nal] 19(2), pp. 119-137. h ps://doi.o g/
10.1080/10454446.2013.766074.
Rembische ski, P. and Caldas, E.D., 2020. Risk pe cep ion ela ed o ood. Food Science
and Technology, [e-jou nal] 40(4), pp. 779-785. h ps://doi.o g/10.1590/ s .28219.
Rolland, N.C.M., Ma kus, C.R. and Pos , M.J., 2020. The e ec o in o ma ion con en on
accep ance o cul u ed mea in a as ing con ex . PLOS ONE, [e-jou nal] 15(4), a icle no.
e0231176. h ps://doi.o g/10.1371/jou nal.pone.0231176.
Román, S., Sánchez-Siles, L.M. and Sieg is , M., 2017. The impo ance o ood na u alness
o consume s: Resul s o a sys ema ic e iew. T ends in Food Science & Technology,
[e-jou nal] 67, pp. 44-57. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. i s.2017.06.010.
Ruby, M.B., Rozin, P. and Chan, C., 2015. De e minan s o willingness o ea insec s in he
USA and India. Jou nal o Insec s as Food and Feed, [e-jou nal] 1(3), pp. 215-225.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3920/JIFF2015.0029.
Saba, A. and Messina, F., 2003. A i udes owa ds o ganic oods and isk/bene i pe cep ion
associa ed wi h pes icides. Food Quali y and P e e ence, [e-jou nal] 14(8), pp. 637-645.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/S0950-3293(02)00188-X.
Shephe d, R., 2008. In ol ing he public and s akeholde s in he e alua ion o ood isks.
T ends in Food Science & Technology, [e-jou nal] 19(5), pp. 234-239.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. i s.2007.12.005.
Sieg is , M., 2007. Consume a i udes o ood inno a ion and echnology. In: L. F ewe and
H. an T ijp eds., 2007. Unde s anding Consume s o Food P oduc s. s.l.: Woodhead
Publishing, pp. 236-253. h ps://doi.o g/10.1533/9781845692506.2.236.
Sieg is , M., Gu sche , H. and Ea le, T.C., 2005. Pe cep ion o isk: he in luence o gene al
us , and gene al con idence. Jou nal o Risk Resea ch, [e-jou nal] 8(2), pp. 145-156.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/1366987032000105315.
Sieg is , M. and Ha mann, C., 2020. Consume accep ance o no el ood echnologies.
Na u e Food, [e-jou nal] 1(6), pp. 343-350. h ps://doi.o g/10.1038/s43016-020-0094-x.
AE
Cul u ed Mea – F om Scien i ic Challenge o Consume Accep ance
as Sus ainable Food Sou ce
362 Am i ea u Economic
Sieg is , M., Sü e lin, B. and Ha mann, C., 2018. Pe cei ed na u alness and e oked disgus
in luence accep ance o cul u ed mea . Mea Science, [e-jou nal] 139, pp. 213-219.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.mea sci.2018.02.007.
Sinke, P., Odega d, I., an de Giesen, C., Swa z, E. and Sanc o um, H., 2023. Ex
‑
an e li e
cycle assessmen o comme cial – scale cul i a ed mea p oduc ion in 2030. Food Chains.
[online] Del : CE Del . A ailable a : <h ps://cedel .eu/publica ions/ appo -lca-o -
cul i a ed-mea - u u e-p ojec ions- o -di e en -scena ios/> [Accessed 14 Ma ch 2023].
Socaciu, M.-I., Câmpian, V., Dabija, D.-C., Foga asi, M., Semeniuc, C.A., Poda , A.S. and
Vodna , D.C., 2022. Assessing Consume s’ P e e ence and Loyal y owa ds Biopolyme
Films o Food Ac i e Packaging. Coa ings, [e-jou nal] 12(11), a icle no. 1770.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/coa ings12111770.
S amp li, N., Sieg is , M. and Kas enholz, H., 2010. Accep ance o nano echnology in ood
and ood packaging: a pa h model analysis. Jou nal o Risk Resea ch, [e-jou nal] 13(3),
pp. 353-365. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13669870903233303.
S ephens, N., Di Sil io, L., Duns o d, I., Ellis, M., Glenc oss, A. and Sex on, A., 2018.
B inging cul u ed mea o ma ke : Technical, socio-poli ical, and egula o y challenges
in cellula ag icul u e. T ends in Food Science & Technology, [e-jou nal] 78,
pp. 155-166. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. i s.2018.04.010.
Tenbül , P., de V ies, N.K., D eezens, E. and Ma ijn, C., 2005. Pe cei ed na u alness and
accep ance o gene ically modi ied ood. Appe i e, [e-jou nal] 45(1), pp. 47-50.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.appe .2005.03.004.
Ve beke, W., Ma cu, A., Ru sae , P., Gaspa , R., Seib , B., Fle che , D. and Ba ne , J., 2015.
‘Would you ea cul u ed mea ?’: Consume s’ eac ions and a i ude o ma ion in Belgium,
Po ugal and he Uni ed Kingdom. Mea Science, [e-jou nal] 102, pp. 49-58.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.mea sci.2014.11.013.
Voinea, L., Popescu, D.V., Bucu , M., Neg ea, T.M., Dina, R. and Enache, C., 2020a.
Reshaping he T adi ional Pa e n o Food Consump ion in Romania h ough he
In eg a ion o Sus ainable Die P inciples. A Quali a i e S udy. Sus ainabili y, [e-jou nal]
12(14), a icle no. 5826. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/su12145826.
Wool , E., Maya, C., Yoon, J., She ukde, S., Toia, T., Zhao, J., Zhu, Y., Pe e , P.C. and Liu,
C., 2021. In o ma ion and as e in e en ions o imp o ing consume accep ance o
edible insec s: a pilo s udy. Jou nal o Insec s as Food and Feed, [e-jou nal] 7(2),
pp. 129-139. h ps://doi.o g/10.3920/JIFF2020.0057.
Wu, W., Zhang, A., an Klinken, R.D., Sch obback, P. and Mulle , J.M., 2021. Consume
T us in Food and he Food Sys em: A C i ical Re iew. Foods, [e-jou nal] 10(10), a icle
no. 2490. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/ oods10102490.
Wunde lich, S. and Ga o, K.A., 2015. Consume Pe cep ion o Gene ically Modi ied
O ganisms and Sou ces o In o ma ion. Ad ances in Nu i ion, [e-jou nal] 6(6),
pp. 842-851. h ps://doi.o g/10.3945/an.115.008870.
Xiao, Y. and Wa son, M., 2019. Guidance on Conduc ing a Sys ema ic Li e a u e Re iew.
Jou nal o Planning Educa ion and Resea ch, [e-jou nal] 39(1), pp. 93-112.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/0739456X17723971.
