Insects are increasingly considered as sustainable source of protein in fish feed, but what are the consumers' attitudes towards fish fed insects instead of conventional protein sources?
Insect-based aquafeed as an important source of protein has the potential to increase food and feed safety and contribute to circular economy. Consumers’ risk perception plays a great role in the effective informed policy design as well as commercial development of insects as fish feed. However, our knowledge is limited in this respect, and hence it is essential to examine consumers’ acceptance and risk perception regarding fish fed with insects.
We will conduct a survey comprising of three sections. In the first section, respondents’ general attitude towards rearing insects as substitutes for conventional protein sources (e.g., soy and fishmeal) and using insects as an ingredient combined with other conventional ingredients will be assessed. Second, participants’ risk-benefit attitudes will be elicited, and, finally, consumers’ willingness to purchase and willingness-to-pay for fish fed with insects compared to conventional feed will be examined. We are also aiming to examine how provision of information regarding environmental advantages, particularly the potential to contribute to circular economy, of the insect-based meals would impact consumers’ choice.
Main Applicant:
Co-applicants:
Start and end date: 2021-10 to 2022-06
The project is funded by SLU Aquaculture, which support cross-faculty collaborations to further strengthen aquaculture research at SLU. Read more about SLU Aquaculture, current research projects and upcoming calls.