An Exploration and Investigation of Edible Insect Consumption: The Impacts of Image and Description on Risk Perceptions and Purchase Intent

Abstract

As a result of the dramatic increase in global population, food waste, and unsustainable practices, the United Nations urges the promotion of edible insects as an alternative food source. However, edible insects are perceived as an unappealing, disgusting food source despite the nutritional and sustainable advantages, especially among Westerners. Therefore, research is needed to bridge the gap between the call for examining alternative food sources and the marketing initiatives to improve purchasing behavior. This research draws upon information processing and risk perception theories to investigate reducing consumers’ negative perceptions toward edible insect food products. The first study examines the effect of image and description in a retail setting while the second study examines a restaurant setting. Results find that in retail settings image was the most significant in reducing perceptions of risk while in the restaurant setting menu description was most important. In addition, vague descriptions were more preferable to explicit descriptions in minimizing risk and increasing purchase intention. Finally, the research provides meaningful implications for the marketers who endeavor to promote alternative food products as well as any products that involve negative and unfamiliar perceptions.

The impact of consumer familiarity on edible insect food product purchase and expected liking: The role of media trust and purchase activism

“…'s () study. Expected liking was measured with two items and purchase intention was measured with four items that were adapted from Baker et al .’s () study. All measurement items were measured on a 7‐point Likert‐type scale that was anchored between (1) Strongly disagree and (7) Strongly agree.…”

“…However, adopting edible insects for human consumption faces several barriers due to the negative perceptions associated with insects such as disgust (Baker et al . ). Some research indicates that information processing is the key to combat against such negative perceptions of edible insect (Baker et al .…”

“…However, the industry still faces numerous challenges because of disgust‐induced consumer rejections (Baker et al . ), lack of industry stakeholder collaborations, and under‐developed research efforts (Han et al . ).…”

“…Among the many challenges edible insect food entrepreneurs encounter, including novel food consumption settings, information dissemination (Baker et al . ) and consumers' interactions with media information all play critical roles in influencing future motivational and behavioral decisions of consumers (Filieri et al . ; Metzler ).…”

Consumer preference for edible insect‐containing cookies determined by conjoint analysis: An exploratory study of Korean consumers

“…2014; Looy et al ; Baker et al ). However, although it was found that edible insects should be powdered and then used as a food ingredient in order to minimize the consumers' risk perceptions (Baker et al ), there are significant literature gaps in terms of the commercialization of edible insect powder. In other words, previous literature does not provide a holistic approach to the commercialization of edible insects.…”