A cross-cultural study of unwillingness to consume insects in Croatia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, and Mexico
The percentage of respondents who had not consumed insects in Mexico was 29.7%, whereas in European countries, it ranged from 70.5 to 89.3%. The Chi-square test revealed a statistically significant difference for all analyzed sociodemographic factors. Gender, age, educational level, geographical area, and income all influenced a person to be a non-consumer of insects. We suggest using isolated insect protein or insect flour to formulate/develop food products, inform about the nutritional and health benefits of insects, integrate insects into the countries' traditional cuisine, and reduce the costs of insects to increase their consumption in European countries.
Authors
- Monica Tarcea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7299-118X)
- Lucio Rodríguez‐Sifuentes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1762-4317)
- Cristina Chuck‐Hernández (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3555-4826)
- Raquel P. F. Guiné (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0595-6805)
- Marijana Matek Sarić (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2734-7955)
- Anayansi Escalante‐Aburto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6781-5154)
- César Ozuna (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4236-2328)
- Elena Bartkienė (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3706-1280)
- Rosa María Mariscal‐Moreno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9871-0614)
Institutions
- Universidad de Guanajuato (MX)
- Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LT)
- Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila (MX)
- Universidad Iberoamericana (MX)
- Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Științe și Tehnologie „George Emil Palade” din Târgu Mureș (RO)
- University of Zadar (HR)
- Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (PT)
- Tecnológico de Monterrey (MX)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Nutrition
- Published
- 2025-12-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1699378
- Primary Topic
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00