Investigation of the Level of Knowledge in Different Countries about Edible Insects: Cluster Segmentation

Raquel P. F. Guiné (), Sofia G. Florença, Cristina A. Costa, Paula M. R. Correia, Manuela Ferreira, Ana P. Cardoso, Sofia Campos, Ofélia Anjos, Cristina Chuck-Hernández, Marijana Matek Sarić, Ilija Djekic, Maria Papageorgiou, José M. F. Baro, Malgorzata Korzeniowska, Maša Černelič-Bizjak, Elena Bartkiene, Monica Tarcea, Nada M. Boustani, Dace Klava and Emel Damarli
Additional contact information
Raquel P. F. Guiné: CERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Sofia G. Florença: CERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Cristina A. Costa: CERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Paula M. R. Correia: CERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Manuela Ferreira: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Ana P. Cardoso: CIDEI-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Sofia Campos: CIDEI-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Ofélia Anjos: School of Agriculture, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal
Cristina Chuck-Hernández: Tecnologico de Monterrey, The Institute for Obesity Research, Monterrey 64849, Mexico
Marijana Matek Sarić: Department of Health Studies, University of Zadar, 23000 Zadar, Croatia
Ilija Djekic: Department of Food Safety and Quality Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Maria Papageorgiou: Department of Food Science and Technology, International Hellenic University, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
José M. F. Baro: BALAT Research Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of León, 24071 León, Spain
Malgorzata Korzeniowska: Faculty of Food Science, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland
Maša Černelič-Bizjak: Department of Nutritional Counseling—Dietetics, Faculty of Health Science, University of Primorska, 6320 Izola, Slovenia
Elena Bartkiene: Department of Food Safety and Quality, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Monica Tarcea: Department of Community Nutrition and Food Safety, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania
Nada M. Boustani: Faculty of Business and Administration, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1104 2020, Lebanon
Dace Klava: Faculty of Food Technology, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3001 Jelgava, Latvia
Emel Damarli: Altıparmak Food Coop. Research & Development Center, Çekmeköy, 34782 İstanbul, Turkey

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge about edible insects (EIs) in a sample of people from thirteen countries (Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey). Data collection was based on a questionnaire survey applied through online tools between July and November 2021. For data analysis, techniques such as factor analysis, cluster analysis, and chi-square tests were used, with a significance level of 5%. A total of 27 items were used to measure knowledge on a five-point Likert scale. Applying factor analysis with principal components and Varimax rotation, a solution that explains about 55% of variance was obtained. This accounts for four factors that retained 22 of the 27 initial items: F1 = Sustainability (8 items), F2 = Nutrition (8 items), F3 = Production Factors (2 items), and F4 = Health Concerns (4 items). Internal consistency was evaluated through Cronbach’s alpha. The cluster analysis consisted of the application of hierarchical methods followed by k-means and produced three clusters (1—‘fearful’, 2—‘farming,’ and 3—‘ecological’ individuals). The characterisation of the clusters revealed that age did not influence cluster membership, while sex, education, country, living environment, professional area, and income all influenced the composition of the clusters. While participants from Mexico and Spain were fewer in the ‘fearful’ cluster, in those from Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, and Turkey, the situation was opposed. Participants from rural areas were mostly in cluster 2, which also included a higher percentage of participants with lower income. Participants from professional areas linked with biology, food, and nutrition were mostly in cluster 3. In this way, we concluded that the level of knowledge about EIs is highly variable according to the individual characteristics, namely that the social and cultural influences of the different countries lead to distinct levels of knowledge and interpretation of information, thus producing divergent approaches to the consumption of insects—some more reluctant and measuring possible risks. In contrast, others consider EIs a good and sustainable protein-food alternative.

Keywords: knowledge; edible insects; factor analysis; cluster analysis; sustainable food; nutritional value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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