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A government-backed research center in the United Kingdom is set to employ "nudging techniques" to encourage the public to adopt insect-based foods and other alternative proteins in their diets.
The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), set to open at the University of Leeds in northern England and funded by U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI) will explore subtle methods to promote "meat alternatives."
NAPIC, which secured 23 million British pounds ($30.2 million) in funding from multinational corporations and other businesses eager to enter the insect protein industry, will focus on understanding consumer behavior and attitudes toward alternative proteins, including insect-based foods, plant-based meats and lab-grown proteins. NAPIC seeks to position these products in supermarkets and what marketing tactics might persuade shoppers to try them.
"We know that consumers won’t buy food that they don’t find appealing or that’s more expensive than their traditional choices," said Louise Dye from the Institute for Sustainable Food (ISF) at the University of Sheffield. "We also have to be sure that any new alternative proteins are safe and healthy."
Nudging techniques that subtly encourage people to make specific choices without restricting their freedom have been successfully used in public health. Now, researchers hope to use similar tactics to promote a shift away from animal-based proteins, which the ISF accounts for over 90 percent of protein purchased in U.K. supermarkets.
UKRI Deputy Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Guy Poppy suggested that understanding the cultural and psychological barriers will help them "design strategies" to "normalize insect proteins and make them more palatable to a wider audience." ...<<<Read More>>>...
