How about Cultivated Meat? the Effect of Sustainability Appeal, Environmental Awareness and Consumption Context on Consumers’ Intention to Purchase

ABSTRACT In order to understand the acceptance of cultivated meat, we propose experiments regarding (i) a sustainability appeal to increase consumer’s purchase intention, (ii) private consumption as a mediator, and (iii) awareness of environmental issues related to the production process and the use of antibiotics and hormones in the production process as moderators. The results showed that the sustainability appeal of cultivated meat raises consumers’ intention to buy it, while private consumption explains their low intention to buy it. In addition, the low awareness of the production process and the use of antibiotics and hormones in the production process reduce the consumers’ intention to purchase cultivated meat, both directly and indirectly. These results contribute to the literature on the adoption of cultivated meat and sustainable appeals, thus expanding the discoveries regarding a more efficient way of placing it on the market.