A recipe for success: exploratory studies of the predictors of cultivated meat provision by parents of children 6-10 and 11-15 years of age.

Abstract

Background: Novel and potentially sustainable alternative proteins, such as cultivated meat, face many barriers when entering the consumer market, yet these are less well explored with children and their parents. Aims: Across two exploratory online cross-sectional studies, we aimed to investigate the factors influencing the likelihood of trying and regularly consuming cultivated meat, with a focus on parents, their children, and the family. Methods: Study 1 recruited UK parents of children 6-10 years of age (n = 475) and Study 2 recruited UK parents of children 11-15 years of age (n = 453). Studies included questionnaires relating to parents and children, including measures of eating behaviour, neophobia, and child temperament. Results: Using a backward stepwise regression approach, across both studies, familiarity with cultivated meat, acceptance of new technologies and processes, and attitudes towards cultivated meat positively predicted how likely parents were to provide, try and regularly consume cultivated meat, for themselves, their children, and their family. Acceptance of cultivated meat, and attitudes towards conventional beef, generally predicted these outcomes also, whereas eating behaviour and temperament were selective predictors. Of note, child neophobia and child food fussiness were not significant predictors of provision. Conclusion: Together, these exploratory findings are useful for theory development, and speculatively suggest that familiarity with cultivated meat, acceptance of new technologies and processes, and attitudes towards cultivated meat could be used to enhance the acceptance of cultivated meat, e.g., communicating key benefits of cultivated meat to the consumer, to enhance positive attitudes.