The Tainted Truth Effect in Food Innovation: Evidence on Information Credibility and Willingness to Pay for Cultured Meat in Chinese Urban Consumers

China is at a critical stage of dietary structure upgrading and food system transformation. Traditional livestock production has resulted in a significant carbon footprint in China’s meat supply chain. Cultured meat is considered an emerging alternative protein source to maintain the meat consumption experience and potentially reducing carbon footprints. However, consumers’ willingness to pay for cultured meat is also influenced by surrounding environmental information. This study explores whether information credibility increases Chinese urban consumers’ willingness to pay for cultured meat. Using 1262 survey questionnaires from four major international consumer cities in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing), we divided the respondents into three groups based on information credibility and used a Double-bound Contingent Valuation method. The results show that Chinese urban consumers are generally willing to pay a premium for level AA certification label, high protein content, and low carbon footprint cultured meat, but the magnitude of willingness to pay depends on the information consumers receive. Importantly, respondents in the no information group showed the highest average willingness to pay. All information prompts consumers to conduct cautious and risk-aware evaluations, while insufficient information (Tainted Truth Effect) introduces credibility ambiguity, weakening consumers' reliance on factual details. This study has significant implications for evaluating the feasibility of China’s diversified food security strategy, Big Food View and demand-side low-carbon consumption policies.