A new study by the Good Food Institute (GFI) India suggests that 94% of people in India's big cities are willing to try and buy cultivated meat, meat grown from animal cells rather than raised animals. The research combined eight focus groups with people aged 18 to 44 in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and an online survey of 414 respondents.
Some 91% said they find cultivated meat appealing and 52% rated the concept excellent. Respondents saw it as better than conventional meat for animals and the planet (around three-quarters), safer to eat (69%), healthier (63%) and more nutritious (61%). Chicken was the clear first choice, with 94% willing to eat cultivated chicken, followed by mutton (78%) and fish (61%); beef (29%) and pork (21%) were less popular.
Meat-eaters' existing worries help explain the interest: 46% are concerned about the freshness and quality of meat, 39% about disease, contamination and food safety, and a third about antibiotics and hygiene. Most saw cultivated meat as complementary rather than a replacement, with 52% interested in eating both kinds.
Price is the main barrier, cited by 35%. Respondents indicated they would pay a premium of only about 15-20%. Others worried about access (27%), ingredients (24%), artificial processing (20%) and safety (18%). GFI India sees trust as the key: approval by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and third-party certification were the strongest reassurances. Consumers also said they would rather buy it raw online and cook it at home, unlike the restaurant-first route that approved start-ups abroad have taken.
"As India's meat consumption continues to grow, innovative food technologies like cultivated meat can sustainably and reliably satisfy demand without asking consumers to give up the foods they enjoy," said Sneha Singh, managing director of GFI India. Indian start-ups are still awaiting regulatory approval.
The report was written by Anay Mridul for Green Queen.
Photo: World Economic Forum / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Source: Green Queen
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