The influence of external and internal information sources on consumers’ willingness to pay for fish fed with insects

Purpose The study aims to investigate how different external and internal information sources used by consumers affect their willingness to pay (WTP) for a specific novel food, that is the fish farmed with insect meal. Design/methodology/approach WTP was asked by questionnaire to each respondent (open-ended) and data collected on information and knowledge were regressed on the WTP. Findings The results showed which external and internal information sources should be leveraged to promote the adoption of insect feed in aquaculture. Subject knowledge emerged as the most significant factor influencing the WTP for fish raised on insect-based diets, followed by recommendations in dietary guidelines and information on packaging. In contrast, word-of-mouth, often considered a crucial factor in the diffusion of innovations, was found to have no relationship with WTP. Originality/value First, it focuses on a pivotal but still underinvestigated topic for the aquaculture sector sustainability transition: WTP for fish fed with insects. Second, it addresses several research calls for a deeper understanding of different information sources that influence consumers’ WTP, highlighting which sources can be leveraged to promote this innovation diffusion.