Recognizing Potential Pathways to Increasing the Consumption of Edible Insects from the Perspective of Consumer Acceptance: Case Study from Finland

Abstract

Mitigating the sustainability challenges related to agriculture and ensuring adequate availability of nutritious food requires an increase in the use of sustainable alternative protein sources. Edible insects are considered to be a sustainable protein source and a possible substitute for meat. There are many readily available edible insect species with many competing utilization possibilities, which, from the producers’ perspective, increases the complexity of the area. Through a consumer survey and expert interviews, this study recognizes four pathways to increasing the use of edible insects in Western countries and especially in Finland where the survey and interviews were conducted: (1) producing a variety of insect-based food products, especially food products where insects are not recognizable as such and the food is in a familiar form; (2) producing edible insect food products which could replace greenhouse gas emission-intensive animal proteins; (3) focusing on the price, taste, and availability of insect food; and (4) using insects as animal feed. Our findings provide information on the prospects of the studied pathways in terms of consumption and production. Technological development is expected to decrease the price of insect-based food products, but at the same time, the increased use of edible insects faces challenges related to eating habits, contradictory perceptions about the sustainability implications of insect farming, and the availability of insect-based products.

How to enhance the acceptability of insects food—A review

“…Increasing awareness and education on insect‐based food is a crucial step in promoting sustainable and nutritious alternatives to traditional protein sources. Consumers must also be aware of where to purchase insects and how to cook them (Halonen et al., 2022). This can start by incorporating EI as food source into basic educational curriculum, offering guest lectures, workshops, or even setting up small insect farming projects on campus to provide hands‐on learning opportunities.…”

Overcoming Technical and Market Barriers to Enable Sustainable Large-Scale Production and Consumption of Insect Proteins in Europe: A SUSINCHAIN Perspective

“…Despite the regulatory uncertainties, significant research and development efforts are being committed in creating technology for the cultivation and processing of insects as food ingredients [ 25 ], which might be used in processed foods such as pasta or bakery products [ 32 , 33 ]. Only in a few countries in Europe, such as Belgium [ 34 , 35 ], Finland [ 34 , 36 ] and the Netherlands [ 37 ], or in general Western countries [ 38 ], consumer acceptance of insect products was studied or consumers were exposed to such products. A 2015 survey in the Netherlands found that only a small percentage of customers had progressed from occasionally tasting insects to frequently eating them [ 39 ].…”

Does it bug you eating bugs? The emotions of anthropoentomophagy

“…A good example of this integration can be an insect-based bar as an alternative to a cereal bar (Gonz alez-G omez et al, 2021). This is because people generally find it more challenging to try products when the insect is visible and find it easier to try this type of food as flour or as another processed food product, where they are found in a more familiar or unidentifiable form (Halonen et al, 2022;Martins et al, 2022). To achieve this, insect handling can be carried out using processing or protein extraction technologies that dehydrate, dry or crush the product to transform the physical appearance of the insect-based food (Orkusz et al, 2020;Martins et al, 2022).…”

“…, 2021). This is because people generally find it more challenging to try products when the insect is visible and find it easier to try this type of food as flour or as another processed food product, where they are found in a more familiar or unidentifiable form (Halonen et al. , 2022; Martins et al.…”