Factors Influencing the Intention to Eat Insects as an Alternative Protein Source: A Sample from Turkey

The consumption of insect-based foods has been widely studied in recent years due to their nutritional value and their contribution to sustainability. In this study, the integrated sustainable neophilic insect-based eating model (ISNIEM) was used to investigate the various parameters that influence the intention of members of Turkish society to consume insect-based foods. Structural equation modeling was used to test the ISNIEM. A total of 1194 participants were reached through an online survey. According to the study data, sustainability attitudes (biospheric values, new human interdependence paradigm, attitude toward sustainability, attention to insect welfare) influence individuals' intentions to consume insect-based foods by interacting with each other; however, intentions do not influence behavior in the same direction. As expected, food neophobia reduced the number of chosen insect-based foods (NCIBF) (β: -0.121; <i>p</i> < 0.001), while social norms positively influenced the NCIBF (β: 0.176; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and reduced food neophobia (β: -0.307; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Meanwhile, social norms and food neophobia did not affect the intention to eat insect-based food (<i>p</i> > 0.05). The findings of this study suggest that the ISNIEM may be effective in predicting individuals' intentions and behaviors toward eating insect-based foods in Turkey.