Brazilian consumers’ perception of edible insects

ABSTRACT: It is estimated that by 2050 the world population will be 9 billion people; and therefore, the need for alternative sources of protein is inevitable, since conventional sources, such as beef, pork and poultry, will not be sufficient to meet the demand of population growth. Food that includes alternative sources of protein, such as insects, is a reality in countries of Latin America, Asia, Australia, Europe and Africa. This research presents the results of an exploratory study that analysed the food profile of 1,619 consumers in the five Brazilian regions (North, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast and South) as well as their perception, motivation and preferred form of edible insects. The data were analysed by cross-tabulation and expressed as frequencies. Our results show that women are more reluctant than men to consume insects. In general, there is a preference for consumption of insects in the form of flour. However, those with more familiarity with this type of consumption prefer the whole insect. Most Brazilian consumers have no opinion about the safety of consuming insects; however, consumers with higher levels of education and familiarity consider it safe.摘要：据估计，到2050年全球人口将达90亿；因此，开发替代性蛋白质来源已成必然——牛肉、猪肉、禽肉等传统蛋白质来源将无法满足人口增长带来的需求。以昆虫等替代性蛋白质来源为原料的食品，在拉丁美洲、亚洲、大洋洲、欧洲及非洲国家已成为现实。本研究呈现了一项探索性研究的结果，该研究分析了巴西五大区域（北部、东北部、中西部、东南部及南部）共1619名消费者的饮食概况，以及他们对食用昆虫的认知、食用动机与偏好食用形式。研究采用交叉制表法对数据进行分析，并以频数形式展示结果。结果显示，女性相较于男性更不愿食用昆虫。总体而言，消费者更倾向于选择昆虫粉制品；但对这类食用方式更为熟悉的群体，则更偏好食用完整形态的昆虫。多数巴西消费者对食用昆虫的安全性尚无明确看法，但受教育程度更高且更熟悉昆虫食用的群体则认为其安全。