Understanding factors determining Chinese consumer’s willingness to eat cultured meat, insect, and plant-based proteins

Alternative protein consumption is gaining importance in consumer markets around the world. The purpose of the present study is to examine the key factors driving Chinese consumers’ willingness to consume cultured meat, insects and plant-based protein. The factors under investigation were health importance, environmental concerns, food neophobia, food technology neophobia, emotional response to and rational assessments of the protein types. The methodology of this consumer attitudes research is survey-based, administered twice in a five-year period. A sample of 571 and 600 consumers respectively was derived from an online survey distributed via email and social media in 2017 and again in 2022. Partial least square structural equation modelling was employed to analyse relationships and changes over time. Consumer studies are highly valued, but this study is especially valuable as it examines a comprehensive consumer model across three emerging food products over a 5-year period. The findings indicate that for both periods, willingness to consume all three alternative proteins were driven by rational assessments and emotional responses, while being hindered by food neophobia. There were some interesting changes between the two years, notably food healthiness a significant driver for plant-based protein consumption in 2017, but a driver for insect-based protein in 2022. Also, food technology neophobia only significantly hindered cultured muscle and plant-based protein consumption in 2022. The implications of these findings are that the drivers and inhibitors of alternative proteins in the Chinese market are experiencing subtle changes that cannot be ignored by producers and marketers.