A Rapid Evidence Review on Consumer Responses to Precision Fermentation

Precision fermentation is a food processing technique that uses genetically modified microorganisms such as yeast or bacteria to produce foods. For example, precision-fermented dairy is where cow DNA is put into microorganisms like yeast so that the yeast can produce dairy without the need for traditional animal farming. An evidence review was undertaken to examine consumer responses to precision-fermented foods. Most of the available evidence examined precision-fermented dairy. The key findings based on the UK evidence are outlined below. A more detailed description of the findings that incorporates the international evidence is available in the Executive Summary. People are more willing to try precision-fermented dairy/egg than they are to regularly purchase or incorporate these products into their diet • Over half of people in the UK (52-68%) are willing to try precision-fermented dairy/egg. • However, only a minority (17-35%) are willing to regularly purchase or include these products in their diet. People tend to agree that precision-fermented dairy/egg has benefits, however, people also have some concerns about these products • Perceived benefits and motivators for consuming precision-fermented dairy/egg include curiosity about its taste and perceiving the products to be beneficial for animal welfare, the environment, and health. • Perceived risks/concerns and demotivators for consuming precision-fermented dairy/egg include concerns about its safety, unnaturalness and affordability. • People feel uncertain about how to categorise precision-fermented foods and thus may question whether these products are vegan or vegetarian. When consumers have no prior knowledge of what precision-fermented dairy/egg is, the term ‘animal-free’ is more likely to be associated with plant-based products compared to other terms • However, when consumers have prior knowledge of precision-fermented dairy/egg, they perceive the term ‘animal-free’ to be most effective at differentiating the product from both animal-based and plant-based products. • It is unclear whether any term sufficiently conveys allergen information to consumers. Most people either feel unsure about whether precision-fermented dairy should be sold in the UK in future, or think that it should not be on sale • Limited evidence was available on consumers’ level of trust in the regulation of precision-fermented foods.