ABSTRACT
This study used a field experiment and means-end chain analysis to examine the effects of positive and perceived negative nutrition information on the households’ motivations to consume insect-based foods. It used a random sample of households drawn from rural communities in Kenya. The study found that provision of nutrition information on benefits of edible insects and perceived negative aspects of insect-based foods influences participants’ perceptions of insect-based foods and hence acceptance. We also found that tasting real products influenced the nature of mental constructs. The results provide marketers of edible insects with potential marketing messages for promotion.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the households who participated in the field experiment and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology for permission to use the facilities of the Food Processing Workshop Unit for baking the cricket buns.
Funding
Funding for this research was provided by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, through the GREEiNSECT (13-06KU) project.
Notes
1 A county is a geographical and an administrative unit with an elected devolved government (Constitution of Kenya, 2010).
2 Ethical guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki were adhered to while conducting the field experiments, and all procedures involving human subjects were approved by the Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi – Ethical Review Committee (reference KNH-ERC/A/493; Protocol reference P609/09/2015).