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

Abstract

Consumers are the principal agents of consumption when edible insect cookies are launched into the market; therefore, there is a need for research into consumer perception of this product and the factors that could affect their choice. Therefore, through this study, we aimed to provide such information for the development and launch of edible insect cookies. We investigated the importance of product features of edible insect cookies and the part‐worth of the feature levels while predicting the market share of edible insect cookies that are currently in development. We constructed 16 main and four hold‐out profiles from six product features and 16 levels of features. Following analysis of data collected from 203 of 250 respondents, product features were found to be important in the descending order of “type”, “price”, “size”, “availability of nutrition facts”, “thickness” and “use of edible insects”. When the market share of an edible insect cookie with the optimal combination of product features was analyzed through choice simulation, it had the second‐highest share in the cookie market, thus suggesting a direction for the development of edible insect cookies.

Factors Influencing Consumption of Edible Insects for Chinese Consumers

“…Previous studies focusing on European consumers' behavior toward edible insects are well documented. For example, the authors of [12,25] argue that European consumers, particularly younger generations, only exhibit a positive attitude to insect food if insects are mixed with regular meat products. They also find that consumers' responses rely heavily on insect shape and appearance.…”

Edible Insects Processing: Traditional and Innovative Technologies

“…Crickets have been used to formulate cookies with amaranth, rice, oatmeal, chocolate chips, butter, walnuts, and so on. (Ayieko, Ogola, & Ayieko, ; Ryu, Shin, Kim, & Kim, ) and these products are well accepted by children (Ayieko et al., ).…”

An overview of the South Korean edible insect food industry: challenges and future pricing/promotion strategies

“…First, the Korean Edible Insect Laboratory (KEIL) is responsible for insect food materials development, product innovation, commercialization, promotion, and marketing research (KEIL 2016). For example, KEIL has produced research outcomes relating to edible insect confectionery items (Ryu et al ), consumer rejection alleviation (Baker et al ), and edible insects and dementia (KEIL 2016). The Korean Rural Development Administration contributes their research and development efforts toward the advancement of knowledge of edible insect species, relevant genetic investigations, material extraction and development research, and pest control related research.…”