Consumers’ Preferences for Chicken Fed on Different Processed Animal Proteins: A Best–Worst Analysis in Italy

Abstract

The increase in meat consumption expected in the next decade will require more and more proteins for animal feeding. The recent amendments to the European “BSE Regulation” allow the use of insects and porcine-based meals in poultry farming, providing novel, sustainable substitutes for vegetable fodder. While the technological and nutritional properties of novel feeds containing processed animal proteins are widely recognized, far less is known about consumers’ acceptance of meat produced by animals fed on animal-based meals. In the present research, a best–worst survey was applied to estimate consumers’ preferences for chicken fed on plants, insects, or porcine-based meals using a sample of 205 Italian consumers. Furthermore, product price, type of farming, and “Free-from” labeling were considered in the analysis to evaluate the relative importance of feed ingredients compared to other important attributes of meats. The results show that the most relevant attributes are type of farming and “Free-from” claims, while type of feed represents the third attribute in order of importance. Notably, both insect and porcine flour are considered as negative characteristics of the product, suggesting that mandatory labeling signaling the use of these feeds would negatively impact on the value of chicken meat.

Beyond Meat: Alternative Sources of Proteins to Feed the World

“…Nevertheless, they are quite familiar with the topic of entomophagy and show some signal of interest toward it, especially in relation to foods containing processed (non-visible) insects. Consumers' skepticism is also observed by Amato and colleagues [13] in relation to innovative practices related to animal feeding. In their study, these scholars show an innovative application of the best-worst method.…”