Shaping the future of sustainable dining in the US: Marketing insect-based food using degree of visibility and consumer adventurousness

Abstract

Insect-based food has been promoted as one of the most promising sustainable foods for more than a decade, but it still remains novel for the majority of Western consumers. Drawing upon theories of disgust, value-attitude-behavior, and reasoned action, this study investigates the pathways from perceived values of insect-based food to behavioral intention through a moderated serial mediation model. The results show that healthiness and sustainability are positive values and disgust is a negative value in predicting consumer acceptance and willingness to consume. More importantly, the findings reveal the effectiveness of invisible edible insects in food in reducing the negative impact of disgust on expected sensory liking and on subsequent indirect paths, and the positive influence of consumer adventurousness as a moderator. This study highlights the key influences on insect-based food acceptance and how they should be strategized to successfully market it to U.S. consumers.