Consumer perception and acceptance towards edible insects in Greece

Entomophagy has recently gained popularity since insects have been recognized as a more sustainable alternative to other more conventional sources of animal protein. The present study is based on a questionnaire developed in the context of the EISuFood project, aiming at studying the eating habits and knowledge of consumers about edible insects. A questionnaire survey of self-response was carried out in January – February 2022 on a sample of 660 participants via the Google forms platform. The purpose of the present work was to study the perception and acceptance of Greek consumers towards edible insects or products derived from them through the collection of data. To analyze the data, basic descriptive statistical tools were used, combined with crosstabs and chi-square tests. Most participants (87.6%) answered that they have not eaten insects as culinary preparations, snacks or other derived products. Only 7.9% of the respondents answered that have eaten insects and the rest 4.5% reported that do not know or remember eating insects as culinary preparations, snacks or other derived products. Of those that have consumed insects, 78.3% reported consuming them rarely (once per year). About 53.2% of the respondents reported that do notwant to consume edible insects, while 30.6% will consider eating themin the future. Those who answered that will not consume insects and their derived foods were mostly women, and those without a university degree. On the other hand, it seems that the income level, as well as the living place, was not significantly affecting the preference of respondents to consume insects. These results revealed that factors such as sex and education level influence the Greek consumer attitudes and perceptions about edible insects suggesting the need for appropriate training and information of the consumers in the future.