Consumers surveyed about lab-grown meats

Source: Purdue University

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.; April 10, 2024 — Many consumers view conventional meats as both tastier and healthier than laboratory-grown alternatives, according to the March Consumer Food Insights Report.

The survey-based report out of Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability assesses food spending, consumer satisfaction, and values, support of agricultural and food policies, and trust in information sources. Purdue experts conducted and evaluated the survey, which included 1,200 consumers across the U.S.

WebMD defines cultured meat, sometimes called lab-grown, clean, or cultivated meat, as "grown in a lab from a few animal cells. It's real meat, but it doesn't require animals to be slaughtered the way traditional meat does."

This month’s report explores consumer perceptions of and willingness to try exotic and cultivated meats. The report highlights differing responses to queries based on meat type: conventional (noncultivated) or cultivated. The researchers use the term “conventional” meat to describe meat that is sourced conventionally — bred and raised or hunted, slaughtered, and butchered. Cultivated meat is grown or cultivated in a laboratory from animal cells.

Focusing on familiar meats that Americans can find in any grocery store, such as beef and chicken, center researchers saw a big difference between the perceived taste and healthfulness of conventional versus cultivated versions of these meats. The conventional versions received a higher average rating in both aspects.

“We see similar results when evaluating consumers’ willingness to try conventional and cultivated meats in a restaurant setting,” said the report’s lead author, Joseph Balagtas, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue and center director. For common meats, such as beef, chicken and pork, the researchers found that about 90% or more of consumers are willing to try conventional or noncultivated meats.

“The proportion of consumers willing to try the cultivated versions of these meats is around 30 percentage points lower, though it is still a majority, about 60%,” Balagtas said. “Given the fact that cell-cultured meat is not widely available, these results reflect consumer distrust of the unknown when it comes to food, which is a barrier for any novel food trying to break into the market.”

Among consumers unwilling to try conventional chicken, cow and pig, however, around 46%, 26% and 22%, said they are willing to try cultivated versions of these meats, respectively. “This shows that there may be (a) market for cultivated meat among a sizable portion — albeit small number — of consumers who do not eat meat along with a majority of consumers who already are willing to try conventional versions of these meats,” Balagtas said.

The questions about exotic and cultivated meats stemmed from a collaboration with Jacob Schmiess, a Purdue PhD student in agricultural economics, who co-authored this month’s report. The results showed that fewer consumers are willing to try exotic meats, though around 50% say they are willing to try professionally prepared octopus, shark and ostrich.

“Again, we see a willingness to try cultivated versions of these meats drop significantly,” Schmiess said.