NEW TECH FOODS

A study published in Future Foods, a scientific journal dedicated to sustainability in food science, found that buying and eating cell-based meat "significantly boosted" diners’ acceptance of this food.

The study, carried out at Huber’s Butchery and Bistro in Singapore, also found that after trying cell-based chicken, consumers displayed an interest in consuming it again and recommending it to others.

In a survey of over 100 people dining at Huber’s in 2023, researchers from Singapore Management University investigated whether presenting cell-based meat in familiar meal settings would influence diners’ willingness to try it again and recommend it to others. The study also supported Good Meat’s strategy of "socialising cultivated chicken to consumers through curated food trials at restaurants: eating is believing.”

Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Good Meat, said: “This report is significant, as it’s the first-ever study of actual paying consumers of cultivated meat. The findings are clear: when consumers are free to buy cultivated meat, they are much more likely to accept it and suggest it to their friends and family.”

Mark Chong, one of the study’s authors, commented: “We undertook this study because it represented an unprecedented opportunity to study consumer reactions in an actual consumption setting. Our findings scientifically validate the importance of sensory experience (e.g. through product trials) and tastiness to consumers' repeat consumption of cultivated meat.”

In the research, taste emerged as another important factor, indicating that the "tastiness" of the cell-based chicken itself held more weight for consumers compared to whether it was served in a "familiar meal or dish". Participants rated cultivated meat with a score of 4.2 out of 5 for taste and 4.45 out of 5 for their inclination to recommend it to others.

The Good Food Institute APAC managing director Mirte Gosker added: “Singaporean diners are renowned for their discerning taste in food, so while environmental and public health benefits can be additional motivators, the product has to hit the mark on flavour. This data shows that cultivated meat can pass that high bar and turn sceptics into enthusiasts, so now we need costs to come down enough to enable such products to reach the masses. That’s going to require greater global collaboration, market access and investment, but Singapore has made clear that it’s open for business and ready to meet this moment.”

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