Summary of Research Findings

This consumer survey was carried out in January 2024 to a total of 1,200 men and women in their 20s to 70s, who indicated that they purchase ingredients to make dishes at home, or they choose and make purchase of ingredients with a person they live together, to find out the consumer awareness, purchase statuses, and conditions for purchases regarding seven categories of sustainable foods (1. organic JAS-certified vegetables, 2. plant factory vegetables, 3. plant-based meat alternatives, 4. cultured meat, 5. animal welfare livestock products, 6. MSC/ASC/MEL-certified marine products, and 7. land-based aquaculture products). Potential consumer demand for sustainable food was considered using machine learning software (AI software) and statistical analysis method. This press release denotes part of our analytical finding. Please note that respondents were given a brief explanation to each of the seven categories prior to the survey.

Regarding the question asking about the awareness of sustainable food, we have collectively named the respondents that chose options other than “I didn’t know about it” collectively as “recognizers”. In other words, they are the ones that have selected response options of “I remember hearing about it or seeing it, but I didn't know much in detail”, “I broadly knew about it, but did not understand it well”, or “I knew about it and understood it well”. The ratio of the “recognizer” was highest for plant-based meat alternatives (such as soy meat) at 74.1%, followed by 60.8% for plant factory vegetables, 54.0% for organic JAS-certified vegetables, 53.9% for land-based aquaculture products, 46.8% for cultured meat, 33.2% for animal welfare livestock products, and 25.9% for MSC/ASC/MEL-certified marine products.

It is speculated that the plant-based meat alternatives (such as soy meat) have become relatively well recognized by consumers in recent years due to increased opportunities to be seen by general public, as restaurant chains developed food menus using soy meat and supermarkets shelve them as merchandise.

Noteworthy Topics

With regard to the questions asking about purchase statuses of sustainable food (single answer), we have named the respondents that selected “I have bought it or eaten it (more than a year ago)”, “I have bought it or eaten it (in the past year)”, “I buy it or eat it sometimes (once to three times a month)”, and “I buy it often (once a week or more)” collectively as “Purchasers”. The ratio of “purchasers” was 21.1% for plant-based meat alternatives (soy meat), 16.4% for organic JAS-certified vegetables, 14.0% for plant-factory vegetables, 9.9% for land-based aquaculture products, 8.4% for animal welfare livestock products, and 7.9% for MSC/ASC/MEL-certified marine products.

The results of this survey indicate that there are reasonable differences among the seven sustainable food categories surveyed in terms of recognition and purchase frequency. We believe that this is due to the presence or absence of benefits that consumers can feel from that particular type of food, such as in price, taste, and safety. Promoting sustainable food is an approach that fosters environmentally and socially conscious production and consumption, which eventually brings advantage to consumers. However, it will take more time for people to get accustomed to taking this type of food as their daily meal. In order to convince consumers that sustainable food is a good option for their daily diet, consumer awareness needs to be increased by means of the dissemination of various information.

* For the questions regarding the purchase of sustainable food, respondents were asked to choose from the following options: “I have never seen such products in the first place”, “I have never purchased/eaten”, “Probably I have never purchased/eaten”, “Probably I have purchased/eaten”, “I have purchased/eaten (more than a year ago)”, “I have purchased/eaten (in the past year)”, “I buy/eat them every once in a while (once to three times a month)”, “I buy them often (once a week or more). Note that respondents could also choose “I don’t buy any animal-based products in the first place” for the purchase of animal welfare livestock products, MSC/ASC/MEL-certified marine products, and land-based aquaculture products.

Research Outline