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- Edible Insects: Perceptions of Marketing, Economic, and Social Aspects among Citizens of Different CountriesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, Ofélia; Bartkiene, Elena; Djekic, Ilija; Matran, Irina M.; Čulin, Jelena; Klava, Dace; Chuck-Hernández, Cristina; Korzeniowska, Malgorzata; Boustani, Nada M.; Papageorgiou, Maria; Gutiérrez, Bernardo Prieto; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Damarli, Emel; Ferreira, VanessaBecause edible insects (EI) have been, in recent years, recommended as a nutritious animal protein food with enormous environmental advantages over other sources of animal protein for human consumption, studies aimed at investigating the consumer perspective have become more prominent. Hence, this study intended to examine the perceptions of participants from different countries about the commercialization and economic and social impacts of edible insects. The study was made using a questionnaire survey, and data were collected in Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. The final number of received answers was 7222 participants. For the treatment of the results, different statistical techniques were used: factor analysis, internal reliability by Cronbach’s alpha, cluster analysis, ANOVA to test differences between groups, and Chi-square tests. The results obtained confirmed the validity of the scale, constituted by 12 out of the 14 items initially considered, distributed by 4 factors: the first related to the economic impact of EIs, the second related to the motivation for consumption of EIs, the third related to the places of purchase of EIs, and the fourth corresponding to a question presented to the participants as a false statement. A cluster analysis allowed identifying three clusters, with significant differences between them according to all the sociodemographic variables tested. Also, it was found that the participants expressed an exceptionally high level of agreement with aspects such as the difficulty in finding EIs on sale, knowledge acting as a strong motivator for EI consumption, and the role of personalities and influencers in increasing the will to consume EIs. Finally, practically all sociodemographic variables were found to be significantly associated with perceptions (country, sex, education, living environment, and income), but not age. In conclusion, the perceptions about EI commercialization were investigated and revealed differences among samples originating from different countries. Moreover, the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were found to be strongly associated with their perceptions.
- Edible Insects: Consumption, Perceptions, Culture and Tradition Among Adult Citizens from 14 CountriesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, Ofélia; Boustani, Nada M.; Bartkiene, Elena; Chuck-Hernández, Cristina; Djekic, Ilija; Tarcea, Monica; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Kruma, Zanda; Korzeniowska, Malgorzata; Papageorgiou, Maria; Árias, Leticia González; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Damarli, Emel; Ferreira, Vanessa; Bayraktaroğlu, Emre; Arpa, Fatmanur OzyurekAlthough edible insects (EIs) are encouraged as a sustainable source of protein, their consumption is not as generalised as other types of food that are internationally accepted. While in some regions of the world, EIs are part of the gastronomic and cultural traditions, in other regions, people are not so receptive to this type of food, and some people even express some disgust towards it. Hence, this research focused on the habits of the participants regarding the consumption of insects as well as their perceptions about EIs being or not a part of the local culture or gastronomic patrimony. A questionnaire survey was implemented in fourteen countries (Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey), and globally, 7222 adult participants responded to the questionnaire. SPSS software (version 28) was used to process the data and carry out chi-square tests and Factor Analyses (FA). The obtained results showed significant differences between countries for all the questions included in the survey, either those regarding the habits of the participants or their opinions about the facts linked with EI tradition or cultural aspects. It was found that participants from Mexico consume EIs more than in all other countries and that strong motivations that would lead to consumption among those who do not consume include curiosity and food shortage. The solution obtained with FA considering the ten statements of the scale consisted of two factors: F1—Culture and Tradition of EIs (α = 0.675) and F2—Acceptance of EIs (α = 0.614). In conclusion, the consumption of EIs and the perceptions of people are highly variable according to geographic location and cultural environment.
- Information about nutritional aspects of edible insects: Perspectives across different European geographiesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, Ofélia; Bartkiene, Elena; Sarić, Marijana MatekEdible insects (EIs) have recently gained attention as an alternative and more sustainable food, emerging as an alternative to other protein foods with higher environmental impacts, like bovine meat. EIs contain a valuable composition of macro and micronutrients, important for human nutrition. Nevertheless, their consumption is not yet widespread in Western countries, such as in Europe. This work aimed to study how consumers in three different European locations perceive the role of EIs in human nutrition. Data collection was carried out by a questionnaire survey in three countries (Croatia, Lithuania, and Portugal), and 1723 participants were included in the study. For the treatment of the data, SPSS software was used, and chi-square tests and tree classification analysis were performed. The results showed that for all the statements presented to the participants, significant differences were found in information about EIs according to country. The results further highlighted that the participants were better informed about the high protein content of EIs, while not being well informed about their possible anti-nutritive effects. Tree classification revealed that the most important discriminating variable was country, with Lithuanian participants being better informed than those from Portugal or Croatia.
- Development of a Questionnaire to Assess Knowledge and Perceptions about Edible InsectsPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Duarte, João; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, OféliaEdible insects (EI) have been consumed as traditional foods in many parts of the globe, but in other regions, they are not readily accepted, particularly in Western countries. However, because EI are suggested to constitute a more sustainable protein food as compared with other sources of animal protein, they can be considered a future food that could help mitigate hunger and malnutrition. Additionally, new gastronomic trends are already targeting this area for exploring new potentialities. The objective of this work was to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess consumers’ perceptions and knowledge about EI in seven different domains: D1. Culture and Tradition, D2. Gastronomic Innovation and Gourmet Kitchen, D3. Environment and Sustainability, D4. Economic and Social Aspects, D5. Commercialization and Marketing, D6. Nutritional Aspects and D7. Health Effects. The 64 items were subjected to item analysis and reliability analysis for validation, and factor analysis was also conducted to identify a grouping structure. The results validated all the items of the seven subscales with high values of Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.732 for D1, α = 0.795 for D2, α = 0.882 for D3, α = 0.742 for D4, α = 0.675 for D5, α = 0.799 for D6 and α = 0.788 for D7). However, by eliminating 17 items, the final values of the alpha increased in all subscales. Factor analysis with extraction by principal component analysis with varimax rotation extracted 14 factors that explained, in total, 65% of the variance, although the first two factors were the most important (35.7% variance explained). In conclusion, the confirmed usefulness of the questionnaire has been hereby validated for assessing consumer perceptions of and knowledge about EI.
- Food Knowledge for Better Nutrition and Health: A Study among University Students in PortugalPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Ferreira Aparício Costa, Maria Da Graça; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Ferreira, ManuelaWhen students enter university, they suffer adaptations, including, usually, greater autonomy and responsibility for the choices they make. Therefore, it is crucial that they are well informed so as to make healthier food choices. The aim of this study was to determine whether sociodemographic characteristics, academic performance and lifestyle (tobacco and alcohol consumption) interfere with food literacy in university students. A quantitative, analytical, descriptive, transversal and correlational study was carried out, using quantitative data obtained through a questionnaire survey applied to a sample of 924 university students in Portugal. Food literacy was assessed through a scale of 27 items, distributed in three dimensions: D1—Literacy about food nutritional value and composition, D2—Literacy about labelling and food choice and D3—Literacy about healthy eating practices. Results showed no differences in food literacy according to sex or age. However, food literacy varied significantly with nationality, either globally (p = 0.006) or in the different dimensions evaluated (p-values of 0.005, 0.027 and 0.012 for D1, D2 and D3, respectively). In terms of academic achievement, the results showed no significant differences according to self-reported academic performance or even to the average classification obtained in the course. Regarding lifestyle variables, it was observed that alcohol consumption or smoking are not associated with food literacy, that is, food literacy does not vary significantly with these two lifestyle variables. In conclusion, food literacy in general and the dimensions evaluated are essentially constant among university students in Portugal, only varying for students from abroad. These results help to better perceive the food literacy levels for the population under study, university students, and that can be a valuable tool to better increase food literacy at these institutions as a way to better prepare for a healthier life and proper food habits that can enhance health in the long term.
- Food Literacy Scale: Validation Through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a Sample of Portuguese University StudentsPublication . Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Ferreira Aparício Costa, Maria Da Graça; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Ferreira, ManuelaEating behaviors and healthy food choices are associated with food literacy, and they have a huge impact on one’s health status. For that reason, to increase food literacy is a way to effectively help individuals make appropriate choices that help maintain health and diminish the incidence of non-communicable diseases. The objective of this work was to test and validate a scale to assess food literacy. The validation was conducted on a sample of 924 Portuguese university students. The scale was composed of 50 items, which were submitted to exploratory and confirmatory factors analysis. The final validated scale corresponded to a second-order model with a global factor called “Food literacy”, which retained 26 items distributed by three factors: F1—literacy about the nutritional composition of foods (10 items), F2—literacy about labelling and food choices (7 items), and F3—literacy about healthy eating practices (9 items). The internal consistency of the scale is very high, with an alpha higher than 0.9, and the Pierson correlations between the three factors and the global are also higher than 0.9. In conclusion, the present scale has been validated and can therefore be utilized to measure food literacy.