The Heat about Cultured Meat in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Acceptance Study

Abstract

Cultured meat, produced by culturing animal cells in vitro, is gaining increasing interest. The first products obtained using this technology were authorized for human consumption in Singapore and the United States, and more are likely to follow in other parts of the world. Therefore, it is important to assess the attitudes toward such meat in various populations and understand the grounds for its acceptance and rejection. The present cross-sectional online study of adult Poles (n = 1553) aimed to evaluate knowledge of cultured meat, the main reasons and fears associated with its production and consumption, and willingness to buy it and factors influencing such willingness. Most respondents (63%) were familiar with the concept of cultured meat, and 54% declared to purchase it when available. However, concerns over safety were expressed by individuals accepting (39%) and rejecting (49%) such meat. The main motivations for choosing it included limiting animal suffering (76%) and environmental impacts of meat consumption (67%), although over half of responders willing to buy these products were driven by curiosity (58%). Multiple logistic regression revealed that odds (OR; 95%CI) for accepting cultured meat were significantly increased for adults aged 18–40 (1.8; 1.2–2.7); women (1.8; 1.2–2.7); meat eaters (8.7; 5.6–13.6); individuals convinced that animal farming adversely affects the climate (7.6; 3.1–18.3), surface waters (3.1; 1.2–8.1), and air quality (3.0; 1.2–7.6); those familiar with cultured meat concept (4.2, 2.2–8.4); and those revealing high openness to experience (1.7; 1.2–2.4). The results highlight that the Polish population may be moderately ready to accept cultured meat and identify the groups resistant to accepting it. Well-designed and transparent promotion of these products is required to increase the general public’s understanding of the potential benefits and challenges of cultured meat technology.