Studying the Emotional Response to Insects Food Products
Insects have been proposed as a sustainable food solution due to their environmental, nutritional, and socioeconomic value; however, in the western world, insects are viewed as disgusting. This research aimed to understand the acceptance of insect-based products in the US market by studying the emot...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Foods |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/10/2404 |
| _version_ | 1797514586186842112 |
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| author | Michelangelo Serpico Dominic Rovai Kristine Wilke Ruta Lesniauskas Jeff Garza Amy Lammert |
| author_facet | Michelangelo Serpico Dominic Rovai Kristine Wilke Ruta Lesniauskas Jeff Garza Amy Lammert |
| author_sort | Michelangelo Serpico |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Insects have been proposed as a sustainable food solution due to their environmental, nutritional, and socioeconomic value; however, in the western world, insects are viewed as disgusting. This research aimed to understand the acceptance of insect-based products in the US market by studying the emotional response to such. A survey of 826 consumers was conducted using (1) a modified version of the EsSense Profile<sup>®</sup> questionnaire to capture the emotional response to pictures of different kinds of foods, (2) images to evaluate the influence of the presence or absence of non-visible insects in food products, (3) information about the environmental value of insects, and (4) socioeconomic demographics. Disgust was found as a barrier to product acceptance. Insect food products were positively correlated with the emotions of interest, understanding, daring, adventurous, and worried, and negatively correlated with the emotions satisfied, good, pleasant, happy, calm, warm, nostalgic, and secure. The influence of sustainability-related information on the emotional response to such products is complex and should be carefully considered. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:33:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0a67d74430904754b60d924fd0265c2e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:33:20Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-0a67d74430904754b60d924fd0265c2e2023-11-22T18:15:33ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582021-10-011010240410.3390/foods10102404Studying the Emotional Response to Insects Food ProductsMichelangelo Serpico0Dominic Rovai1Kristine Wilke2Ruta Lesniauskas3Jeff Garza4Amy Lammert5ESCP Business School–Turin Campus, Corso Unione Sovietica 218 bis, 10134 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USAGarza Consulting, Grand Rapids, MI 49501, USAGarza Consulting, Evanston, IL 60201, USAGarza Consulting, Grand Rapids, MI 49501, USADepartment of Food Science and Nutrition, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USAInsects have been proposed as a sustainable food solution due to their environmental, nutritional, and socioeconomic value; however, in the western world, insects are viewed as disgusting. This research aimed to understand the acceptance of insect-based products in the US market by studying the emotional response to such. A survey of 826 consumers was conducted using (1) a modified version of the EsSense Profile<sup>®</sup> questionnaire to capture the emotional response to pictures of different kinds of foods, (2) images to evaluate the influence of the presence or absence of non-visible insects in food products, (3) information about the environmental value of insects, and (4) socioeconomic demographics. Disgust was found as a barrier to product acceptance. Insect food products were positively correlated with the emotions of interest, understanding, daring, adventurous, and worried, and negatively correlated with the emotions satisfied, good, pleasant, happy, calm, warm, nostalgic, and secure. The influence of sustainability-related information on the emotional response to such products is complex and should be carefully considered.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/10/2404EsSense Profile<sup>®</sup>edible insectsentomophagyemotionssustainability |
| spellingShingle | Michelangelo Serpico Dominic Rovai Kristine Wilke Ruta Lesniauskas Jeff Garza Amy Lammert Studying the Emotional Response to Insects Food Products Foods EsSense Profile<sup>®</sup> edible insects entomophagy emotions sustainability |
| title | Studying the Emotional Response to Insects Food Products |
| title_full | Studying the Emotional Response to Insects Food Products |
| title_fullStr | Studying the Emotional Response to Insects Food Products |
| title_full_unstemmed | Studying the Emotional Response to Insects Food Products |
| title_short | Studying the Emotional Response to Insects Food Products |
| title_sort | studying the emotional response to insects food products |
| topic | EsSense Profile<sup>®</sup> edible insects entomophagy emotions sustainability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/10/2404 |
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