Bridges and barriers for insect-based food among young adult Italian consumers

Sustainable human consumption of insects has been recognized as a potentially significant innovation. However, the acceptance of insect-based foods in Western countries was influenced by several socio-demographic, cultural, and psychological factors. To disentangle the complex non-linear interactions among attitudes and barriers toward novel foods, we collected demographic data, disgust propensity and sensitivity, neophobia, interest in nutrition-related health, beliefs, attitudes, prior experience and motivation about insect-based foods. Both inference and prediction analysis using machine learning algorithms were performed on a dataset of 400 participants. Statistical comparisons showed that females showed higher disgust and interest in healthy food scores compared to males, and they were less motivated across novel foods in terms of curiosity, taste, nutritional and environmental benefits. In addition, improbable consumers of insect-based food showed higher levels of food neophobia, risk perception and beliefs compared to possible consumers. The prediction model suggested features guiding the willingness to taste insect-based foods: disgust and food neophobia were associated with low acceptance, while curiosity, expected taste, and perceived nutritional benefits were linked to high acceptance. Among the main features, 'eating insects is disgusting' -item 1 of Beliefs and Attitudes about Insects questionnaire- was the strongest barrier, whereas curiosity emerged as the primary motivating bridge. In conclusion, our findings showed that disgust and neophobia could represent barriers to the acceptance of insect-based foods; curiosity, expected taste, and nutritional benefits could be used as a bridge to approach possible consumers.