Towards Food Security of Alternative Dietary Proteins: a Comparison between Spain and the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Current environmental and health concerns encourage a shift towards more sustainable diets. A variety of options are currently being investigated to achieve the food security of alternative-to-meat dietary proteins. The food security of alternative to meat proteins will require attention to the availability, the access, the supply stability and the food safety and quality. The aim of this research is to get insight on consumers' food attitudes in order to achieve food security of four alternatives to meat proteins, namely, plant-based proteins, mycoproteins, cultured meat proteins and insect proteins in different development contexts in Spain and the Dominican Republic. In doing so, the research analyses meat consumption, reduces consumers' attitudes using a principal component analysis, predicts first adopters of alternative dietary proteins using a Chi-square test and ranks preferred alternative dietary proteins using a multicriteria decision-making method. The results show that plant-based proteins are the best positioned alternative, while insects are the worst positioned in the Dominican Republic. Gender and education in the Dominican Republic and gender, education and age in Spain are significant factors for the adoption of alternative to meat proteins. Health and convenience attitudes may determine the adoption of alternative dietary proteins in Spain and the Dominican Republic. This research contributes to identifying the consumers' attitudes to encourage the dietary shift to alternative to meat proteins. It can help industry to market alternative-to-meat proteins in different development contexts to achieve food security.

Consumer Acceptance of Cultured Meat: An Updated Review (2018–2020)

“…Circus and Robison [22] found this to be the case with cultured meat more than with other alternative proteins, though views on these issues were generally congruent. This may be because consumers are more likely to perceive personal risk from cultured meat compared to other alternative proteins [26]. People with this view may be late adopters, waiting to observe whether and how others adopt the technology (see Rogers [42]).…”

“…Several studies have compared the acceptance of cultured meat to insect protein. Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, has become a part of the alternative protein conversation for some-however, the evidence broadly suggests that this is less appealing to consumers than cultured meat [22,23,26]. This preference was observed in most studies which made the comparison (with the exception of Grasso et al [27]) and some authors report that consumers preferred cultured meat over eating insects even though they rated it as less natural and less healthy [23,26].…”

Is the Sustainable Choice a Healthy Choice?—Water Footprint Consequence of Changing Dietary Patterns

“…(3) Macronutrients with recommended intake range (nutrients that contribute to energy intake and have a recommended reference range) [56].…”

A Blind Man Leads a Blind Man? Personalised Nutrition-Related Attitudes, Knowledge and Behaviours of Fitness Trainers in Hungary

“…Similar results can be seen in the case of developing countries. According to Saeedi et al [21], in Teheran, 44.6% of those who go to a gym regularly find that it is crucial to be advised about dietary supplements, and their primary source of information was either their physician or their personal trainer [22].…”