Study Finds 'Cultivated' Label More Appealing Than 'Lab-Grown' for Consumer Acceptance

A Tufts University study published in Food Quality & Preference found that the term 'cultivated meat' generates higher consumer acceptance than 'lab-grown meat' in the US and Germany. The research examines how terminology shapes perceptions of cell-based meat products. The findings have implications for how the emerging cultivated meat industry markets its products to consumers.
Researchers at Tufts University's Center for Cellular Agriculture conducted a study comparing consumer responses to different terminology for meat produced through cellular agriculture. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Food Quality & Preference, tested consumer perceptions in both the United States and Germany. The results indicate that the term 'cultivated meat' generates more favorable responses than 'lab-grown meat,' suggesting that language choices significantly influence how consumers view these emerging food products. This finding is relevant as the cultivated meat industry develops marketing strategies and as regulators consider labeling requirements for these products.
Limitations & open questions
The specific details of the study methodology, sample size, statistical significance of the findings, and the exact nature of consumer preference differences are not provided in the excerpt.
What different sources said
- Phys.orgCenter
Words matter: 'Cultivated' outperforms 'lab-grown' for consumer acceptance, study finds
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