Why do so many people reject lab-grown meat? Despite proof that it’s safe and better for the animals and the planet?

🔎 A paper in Trends in Food Science & Technology offers an answer: our behavioural immune system.

The behavioural immune system is a set of psychological mechanisms that protect us from dangerous or unfamiliar foods by triggering feelings of disgust. This is our first line of defence against parasites and food poisoning.

However, it also makes us reject novel sustainable foods.

The study suggests that resistance to lab-grown meat isn’t necessarily rooted in stubbornness or ignorance. The strong reaction of the behavioural immune system stems from distrust in novel technologies and a concern that they produce food that is not safe.

If we do not address consumer psychology, cultivated meat might never reach its full potential of transforming our food system.

💡 Funding for cultivated meat should not only go towards production technology and cost reduction. We also have to invest in understanding and changing consumer perceptions.

👉 Read the full study and strategy suggestions here.