Cooking and disgust sensitivity influence preference for attending insect-based food events

Area of Science:

• Food science
• Psychology
• Sustainability

Background:

• Insects offer a sustainable protein source for a growing global population.
• Western cultural norms create disgust, hindering insect consumption (entomophagy).
• Understanding disgust's role is crucial for promoting entomophagy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how different types of disgust (animal reminder and core) affect willingness to consume insects.
• To explore if priming the concept of cooking influences willingness to try insect-based foods.
• To determine if cooking acts as a mediator in overcoming disgust towards entomophagy.

Main Methods:

• Participants' sensitivity to animal reminder and core disgust was assessed.
• Willingness to attend an insect-tasting event ('Bug Appétit') was measured.
• A priming task related to cooking was administered to a subset of participants.

Main Results:

• Both animal reminder and core disgust significantly reduced willingness to attend the event.
• Participants low in animal reminder disgust sensitivity showed increased willingness after cooking priming.
• Core disgust sensitivity did not interact with cooking priming.

Conclusions:

• Disgust is a significant barrier to entomophagy, with both direct and indirect psychological factors playing a role.
• Indirect methods, like priming the cooking process, can increase acceptance of insect-based foods in specific populations.
• This research offers novel strategies beyond direct education to promote sustainable insect consumption.