Exploring the buzz: The mediating role of entomophagy attitudes among younger generations towards pork from pigs fed with insect flour

Abstract

This research examines the mediating role of Entomophagy Attitude (EA) in the relationship between neophilia and intention, as well as neophobia and intention, to consume pork from pigs fed with insect flour. A sample of 534 young Italian pork consumers was recruited to test the study hypotheses using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that the three components of EA, namely “interest”, “feeding animals”, and “disgust”, are validated as effective tools for assessing indirect entomophagy. Additionally, neophilia and neophobia have been identified as strong predictors of interest and disgust, respectively. While the feeding animals dimension contributes to transmitting information, it appears less influential compared to the other two dimensions. Although the findings indicate that consumer intentions towards pork produced from pigs fed with insect flour are low, they offer valuable insights and suggestions for future marketing strategies and policymakers aiming to integrate insect-fed meat into a sustainable food supply.