Cultured meat: Vegetarian or not? Exploring young vegetarians' and omnivores’ perceptions of this new technology

Abstract

Since cultured meat is often framed as a more ethical alternative to conventional livestock farming, the question arises of whether it also appeals to vegetarians. To explore this, our study is among the first to examine cultured meat acceptance in a large vegetarian sample (n = 282) while using an equally sized omnivore group (n = 284) as a reference. This online study's participants were Germans aged 18 to 35. We compared both groups in terms of their associations with cultured meat, their perception of its benefits, and whether they classified it as "vegetarian." Additionally, participants rated how disgusting, tasty, healthy, eco-friendly, and natural they perceive a cultured meat burger compared to conventional and plant-based burgers. The results indicated that cultured meat presents a conflict for vegetarians: While they recognized the environmental and animal welfare benefits of cultured meat more than omnivores, they were less willing to consume it. A key barrier was uncertainty over whether cultured meat aligns with vegetarianism. Instead, vegetarians showed a clear preference for the plant-based burger over the cultured option, suggesting that many prefer familiar, plant-based foods and see little incentive to adopt this novel alternative. Across both dietary groups, gender and food neophobia emerged as key predictors of cultured meat perceptions. Overall, our study challenges the assumption that vegetarians could widely accept cultured meat as a suitable meat alternative. However, cultured meat has the potential to offer a solution for consumers who want to reduce their meat consumption but who are dissatisfied with current alternatives.