More than a feeling: Development of an EmoSemio questionnaire to evaluate emotions evoked by cell-cultivated meat label terms in Singapore and the USA

Approval of cell-cultivated meat (CCM) for sale is widely discussed by media, consumers, and stakeholders, with Singapore being first to approve in 2020, followed by the USA in 2023. In both countries, different label terms are used to describe these products, making it difficult for consumers to make informed choices. While consumer surveys have evaluated label term appeal and transparency, emotions evoked by different label terms remain unclear.

We set out to close this gap through the development and application of a product-specific emotional profile for CCM label terms. In this two-part study, we first created a 17-item EmoSemio questionnaire to encapsulate the range of emotions evoked by different CCM label terms, then tested it with 893 USA and 424 Singaporean participants in an online survey.

We found terms including the words ‘cell-’ and lab-grown to evoke significantly greater negative emotions in both countries. In both countries, the term clean meat evoked the greatest positive valence emotions, however, when prompted with the definition of CCM participants did not choose it as a representative label term in either Singapore or the USA.

Our findings provide insights on how label terms effect emotions evoked in both the USA and Singapore, contributing to cross-cultural research on CCM perception. The development of a product-specific EmoSemio questionnaire allows future research to assess the emotions evoked by CCM label terms.