The Consumption of Insects in Switzerland: University-Based Perspectives of Entomophagy

Abstract

Although insects have long been part of the human diet in many countries, they are poorly received and accepted in European and North American countries. Therefore, this cross-sectional observational study, based on a structured questionnaire, aimed to evaluate the level of acceptability of entomophagy among young adults in a Swiss university context. The variable “acceptability of consuming insects” (ACI) was calculated according to the perception of entomophagy of each participant. The ACI was related to various socio-demographic and behavioral aspects. A total of 290 responses were validated and analyzed. The mean ACI score was 3.7 out of 6.0 (SD 1.1). Most participants responded that the most likely reason for eating insect foods was curiosity. The most common reason for not eating such foods was disgust. None of the socio-demographic variables showed a significant association with ACI. Generally, participants in this study showed a potential interest in entomophagy—on a theoretical level, as measured here by the ACI. In practice, however, there are still barriers, including disgust, which contribute to the low consumption of these foods, at least in Switzerland.

Nudging Consumer Behavior with Social Marketing in Portugal: Can Perception Have an Influence over Trying Insect-Based Food?

“…This is especially true for young men who care about the environment; however, product adoption presents difficulties due to issues with appearance, culture, and texture, requiring customized marketing strategies [ 34 ]. Penedo et al [ 35 ] stated in a recent study that most participants in Switzerland indicated curiosity as the most likely justification for eating insect-based meals. Disgust was the most frequent pretext for avoiding such articles [ 35 ].…”

“…Penedo et al [ 35 ] stated in a recent study that most participants in Switzerland indicated curiosity as the most likely justification for eating insect-based meals. Disgust was the most frequent pretext for avoiding such articles [ 35 ].…”

Consumers´ Perception of Novel Foods and the Impact of Heuristics and Biases: a Systematic Review

“…Contrary to food neophobia and perceived unnaturalness, curiosity, the innate desire for exploring, trying new experiences and learning new information, is instead a predictor for willingness to consume novel foods in: Lupton & Turner, 2018a;Modlinska et al, 2020;Nyberg et al, 2020;Palmieri et al, 2020;Penedo et al, 2022;Placentino et al, 2021;Possidónio et al, 2021;Ribeiro et al, 2022;Ritger et al, 2016;Rombach et al, 2022;Ruby et al, 2015;Sogari, 2015;Sogari et al, 2017;Stone et al, 2022;Tan et al, 2015;Videbaek & Grunert, 2020;Zielińska et al, 2021. Curiosity is either examined directly as curiosity for new experiences, or as neophilia towards new foods and acceptance for taking risks. It is always related to higher willingness to eat and try novel foods, with the exception of (Palmieri et al, 2020).…”

Investigation of the Level of Knowledge in Different Countries about Edible Insects: Cluster Segmentation

“…The paper also discussed the question of frequent consumption as opposed to just trying EI-based foods sporadically. In Switzerland, a study by Penedo et al [91] showed that the acceptability of consumers towards EIs was related to various sociodemographic and behavioural factors. Although the participants were potentially willing to consume EIs, there were some practical barriers that impeded their adoption, such as disgust.…”