Consumer Acceptance Differences Based on Cultured Meat Type

This study introduces the concept of "acceptance gap" for cultured meat, defined as the disparity between the daily consumption frequency of conventional animal products and the intention to consume their cultured counterparts daily.This study elucidates the type-specific acceptability of cultured livestock meat (beef and chicken) and cultured seafood (tuna and horse mackerel) among Japanese consumers.To this end, an online survey is administered to Japanese consumers to ascertain their attitudes towards conventional products and measure the acceptance gap.The study's results indicate a substantial discrepancy in acceptance intention between cultured livestock meat and cultured seafood.In addition, the results illustrate a substantial acceptance gap for cultured livestock meat but no distinct gap for cultured seafood.These findings suggest that cultured livestock meat is less likely to be perceived as a direct substitute for conventional meat, whereas cultured seafood has a higher potential for such a substitution.This study significantly contributes to the literature on cultured meat acceptance by introducing the perspective of "acceptance change," a concept that stands in contrast to the primary focus of the extant literature on acceptance formation.Furthermore, the study provides a valuable empirical foundation for further research on cultured meat acceptance by demonstrating the varying acceptability across different types of cultured meat.Lastly, the findings offer novel insights for consumer acceptance studies and can inform future efforts towards the practical application of cultured meat.