Forging a sustainable agricultural future: Tradition and innovation in shaping acceptance of insect-based foods

• A cluster analysis was conducted to identify distinct profiles of Insect based foods (IBF) consumption based on environmental concerns and food system opinions • Four clusters emerged: Earth-Balance Responsibles, Green Consumers, Indifferents, and Greens but Meat-Saving • Preferences for IBF were investigated visually: participante preferered dishes were the insect was not visible • We investigated the association between traditional disgusting food and IBF: a constant, albeit small association between them was found, especially in foods where the insect is visible This study investigates the potential for a sustainable future in agriculture, examining how the interplay between tradition and innovation influences the acceptance of insect-based foods. As global demand for alternative protein sources rises, it is important to understand how individuals’ attitudes toward traditional “disgusting” dishes and their sensitivity to environmental sustainability interact to shape attitudes toward new insect-derived products. The main research aim was to identify profiles of consumers possessing different attitudes toward traditional “disgusting” dishes and new insect-derived products. A survey of 1402 Italian participants was thus conducted to detect the relationships between i) opinions toward traditional “disgusting” food and insects-containing food, and ii) orientation toward both environmental issues and traditional food. A Cluster Analysis was performed on the basis of a previous Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in order to identify distinct consumers’ profiles based on their environmental concern and food system opinions. The four emerged clusters, - i.e. Earth-Balance responsibles, Green consumers, Indifferents and Selective eco-conscious consumers - differ for socio-demographic features and attitudes toward traditional “disgusting” food and insect-based alternatives, that were detected through a photo-choice task including 10 traditional Italian foods and 11 insect-based options. Correlation and Correspondence analyses verified the relationship between preferences for traditional foods and their insect-based counterparts within each cluster. Results show that environmental concern toward food systems influenced the acceptability of insect-based foods differently across the identified clusters. Additionally, socio-demographic features and ties to culinary traditions significantly influenced innovative food choices. In sum, this study provides insights for the sustainable integration of insect-based foods into mainstream dietary choices, emphasizing the crucial role of a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation in this evolving landscape. Furthermore, care for the visual aspects is suggested for product development within the emerging insect-based foods market.