Date of Graduation

5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Food Science

Advisor/Mentor

Kemper, Nathan

Committee Member/Reader

Nayga, Rudy

Committee Member/Second Reader

Kovacs, Kent

Committee Member/Third Reader

Yang, Wei

Abstract

Global population growth and increased meat demand present challenges for the agricultural industry to produce meat sustainably. In-vitro meat (IVM) is an alternative that could reduce negative impacts associated with livestock production. The goal of this study was to examine consumers’ preferences for IVM. A choice experiment was created with twelve choice tasks that varied across five attributes: production method (IVM or conventional), carbon trust label, organic label, animal welfare label, and price. 1,120 US consumers were randomly assigned to one of four information treatments, differing by information presented regarding IVM: 1) neutral (baseline), 2) positive, 3) negative, and 4) combined. To test our hypotheses, differences in mean willingness to pay between treatments were estimated using a combinatorial approach. Results show that consumers prefer traditionally produced ground beef over IVM. In order to select IVM, subjects required large discounts ranging from $1.17 to $1.84 per lb. Negative information framing appears to be a more powerful tool, resulting in the largest required discount. However, positive information significantly reduced the discount required. Food retailers should expect to offer steep discounts to attract customers; however, presenting positive information about the benefits of IVM can reduce the discount substantially.

Keywords

in-vitromeat; willingness to pay; information framing effects

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