Consumers’ valuation of cultured beef Burger: A Multi-Country investigation using choice experiments

This study investigates, for the first time, British, Spanish, and French consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for cultured beef burger. Using a choice experiment (CE) involving beef burgers, our results show that Spanish and French consumers reject cultured beef burgers, while British consumers exhibit a more positive valuation for this new product. Furthermore, we found that younger consumers and those with a lower degree of neophobia towards new food technologies tend to be more accepting of cultured beef. Results also suggest that there is heterogeneity in consumers’ valuation across different consumer groups. In each of the three countries, a segment of consumers willing to pay a premium price for cultured beef burger was identified: the United Kingdom has the largest segment of consumers (47%) willing to pay a premium price of 5.10 £/kg for cultured beef, followed by Spain (38% and 3.35 €/kg) and then France (30% and 2.68 €/kg). Our findings provide insights into the psychology of consumers’ level of acceptance and attitudes, which can be useful in communicating the nature of the cultured meat to the public. They also have important implications for food practitioners and policy makers.