Consumer knowledge and attitudes towards microalgae as food: The case of Spain

Consumer Attitudes towards Microalgae Production and Microalgae-Based Agricultural Products: The Cases of Almería (Spain) and Livorno (Italy)

“…Overall, respondents who agreed with the production of microalgae both in their own city and in Italy mentioned safety, health, and the economy as the main reasons for their decision. This is in line with previous reports that suggested that consumers consider microalgae as nutritious and safe [19]. However, risk perception is key as it is the most important factor influencing consumer interest in production technologies [30].…”

“…Results suggested that increasing consumer knowledge about the environmental and health benefits of microalgae, as well as about the safety and legality of this industry, could lead to a higher interest in the topic and, in turn, to a higher acceptance of microalgae-based processes and products. Previous studies demonstrated that increasing knowledge about microalgae can make those consumers who do not have a clear opinion keener to purchase and use microalgal products [19]. Moreover, an efficient and informative communication of the benefits of a novel technology or process has been shown to be a success factor when it comes to consumer acceptance, as it can reduce consumer uncertainty [30].…”

“…Responses given to the open questions will be used as a starting point to design a more in-depth analysis in the future. Coded options were provided as responses, and consumers were asked to choose the option that best reflected their opinion [19]. The demographic characteristics of the respondents is provided as Supplementary Figure S2.…”

“…However, little is known about the perception that consumers have about these products. A recent study conducted in Spain revealed that consumer knowledge about microalgae, what they are, how they are produced, and the benefits associated with their production and utilization were unknown to the vast majority of the population [19]. Still, microalgae-containing foods were considered safe, nutritious, and sustainable, and the purchase intention of microalgal products was found to be highly influenced by the knowledge that consumers had about this valuable raw material [19].…”

“…A recent study conducted in Spain revealed that consumer knowledge about microalgae, what they are, how they are produced, and the benefits associated with their production and utilization were unknown to the vast majority of the population [19]. Still, microalgae-containing foods were considered safe, nutritious, and sustainable, and the purchase intention of microalgal products was found to be highly influenced by the knowledge that consumers had about this valuable raw material [19]. Microalgae-containing products such as breadsticks [20], soups [3], bread [21], pasta [22], and powdered milk-shakes [23] showed a comparable acceptance to that of the same products formulated without microalgae.…”