Update Jan 2025: This research has now been completed. We will share the findings once they are made publicly available.
This research projects aims to bridge the gap in knowledge on the role of consumer trust, specifically epistemic trust (i.e. trust in scientific knowledge) and social trust (i.e. trust in people, organisations and institutions), in influencing consumer acceptance of cultivated meat and precision-fermented ingredients in Australia.
It is hoped that a better understanding of the role of trust will provide valuable insight in how to effectively communicate the benefits and risks of cultivated meat and precision fermentation to specific segments of Australian consumers, thus maximising consumer uptake of these novel foods.
Gie Liem will be leading this project with the assistance of Phelia Harrison. They will carry out an online survey with a sample size representative of the Australian population. The survey aims to examine how consumer trust levels are associated with attitudes, beliefs, behaviour intentions, and acceptance towards cultivated meat & precision-fermented ingredients.
Researcher profile: Dr Gie Liem
Associate Professor Gie Liem is a sensory and consumer scientist with the CASS food research centre, Deakin University. Gie Liem worked in both the food industry and academia, with a particular interest in the interaction between marketing strategies and perception, choice and intake of food. He published over 60 papers in peer reviewed journals in the field of consumer choice and perception of food. In addition, he is an executive editor of the Journal Appetite, which is one of the leading journals in the field of food consumer research.
“Social acceptance of new food technologies is a gradual process that evolves over time as consumers become more familiar with the technology and its benefits. Before we introduce new technologies to the market, we need to carefully consider barriers and drivers of acceptance. By doing so, we can develop strategies to overcome potential obstacles and leverage drivers to accelerate acceptance,” stressed Gie.
He also adds that “maintaining a consistent transparent narrative across various communication channels, including media, scientific discourse, and company communications, is crucial for effectively gaining consumers’ trust and support.”
You can read more about Gie’s work here - https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/people/gie-liem
Projects outputs coming soon.
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