Aleph Farms, a food company specializing in cultivating beef steaks from non-GMO cells isolated from a cow, without the use of antibiotics or environmental resources associated with conventional livestock, announced some optimistic findings regarding the future of cultivated meat.
 
A new consumer survey which the company commissioned, published by researchers in the journal Foods, found that cultivated meat is likely to achieve popularity among consumers in the future as these products reach supermarket shelves in greater abundance.
 
The study showed that younger consumers are more open to trying these products – more specifically, 87-89% of Gen Z adults, 84-85% of Millennials, 76-77% of Gen X, and 70-74% of Boomers were at least somewhat open to trying cultivated meat.
 
The study, which was led by Keri Szejda, PhD, founder and principal research scientist of North Mountain Consulting Group, included a large representative sample of 2,108 U.S. and 2,034 U.K. consumers, assessing indicators of adoption among the general population ,and by generational segments.
 
The majority of consumers surveyed were not familiar with cultivated meat, yet upon being presented with a description, the respondents, on average, projected that cultivated meat could make up about 40% of their future meat intake, with conventional meat constituting around 60%.
 
In addition to categorizing the consumers by age, the participants were also segmented by degrees of enthusiasm regarding these products. 40% of all consumers were ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ likely to try cultivated meat in both the U.S. and U.K. The group of enthusiastic triers was categorized as the ‘early majority’ group. Of the early majority group, an overwhelming 98-99% of them said that they would consider welcoming it as a regular item in their shopping basket. The vast majority (94-95%) of the early majority are omnivores who consume meat 2-3 times per day in a typical week.
 
“In order to turn this expected acceptance into actual consumption patterns over time, it is critical to develop the right products, based on the right solutions,” Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, said. “In the long term, Aleph Farms’ vision is to provide a better alternative to industrial livestock farming, which represents approximately 70% of the global meat production today.”
 
Younger Generations will be the Early Adopters
 
“The results suggest that cultivated meat is likely to be widely accepted by the general public, especially the younger generations and an eager group of early adopters who appreciate its benefits across a wide range of social issues. These groups tend to embrace change and need little encouragement to try new food innovations,” Szejda said. “Additionally, we observed an increase in support for the technology once consumers had access to additional information, underscoring the importance of effective science communication for consumer adoption.”
 
Sociodemographic analyses comparing the early majority groups to the general population suggest that the early majority are more often Gen Z or Millennials, male, more liberal, and more educated.
 
“In contrast to the younger eager adopters, the older generations are more wary of change,” Toubia said. “Social proof is important to them and they want to be assured that a product is safe, functional, and beneficial before they adopt it. This is why transparency and trust are cornerstones of our company.”