A laborhús iránti fogyasztói preferenciák vizsgálata magyar fogyasztók körében

Due to criticisms against traditional meat production systems, the food industry is increasingly looking for meat replacement options. One of the main directions of development is represented by meat grown in the laboratory. The most important objective of the research was to examine consumer preferences related to lab-grown meat among the Hungarian population, for which purpose we conducted a nationally representative survey of 500 people. According to our results, very few people would try lab-grown meat and consume it regularly; the proportion of those who would definitely try it is only 4.2%, and that of those who would definitely consume it regularly is 5.2%. The proportion of those who would definitely replace traditional meats with lab-grown meat is also small (2.3%), and only 2.9% would choose meat patties made from lab-grown meat at the same price, compared to 80.2% of those who prefer traditional meat patties. This is in line with the high level of aversion of Hungarian consumers to new foods (food neophobia), and indicates that established consumer habits and preferences play a major role in the development of consumer behavior. At the same time, it can be said that the willingness of consumers who have already tried plant-based meat substitutes to try lab-grown meat is significantly higher compared to those who have not yet tried these substitutes, so there is a transition between the two groups, so this segment will probably be the primary target group of stores. In addition, the willingness to try and consume regularly is significantly higher among young people, consumers who consider themselves very health and environmentally conscious, and residents of Central Hungary compared to other segments. It may therefore be advisable for companies to address these target groups first and to effectively focus their messages on the beneficial properties of lab-grown meat. According to the respondents, the two most important obstacles to trying lab-grown meat are the issue of food safety and the product's enjoyment value, so companies must prove that the new product is not harmful to health, and at the same time, they must also prove through tasting that its enjoyment value (taste) does not differ from traditional meats.