Researchers from Aarhus University’s MAPP Centre performed a survey of customers in four European nations to learn about their attitudes about animal-free dairy, especially precision fermentation products. The study sought to determine the perceived hurdles to implementing precision fermentation-derived dairy in Europe. The study discovered that, while dairy alternatives containing precision fermentation-derived milk proteins are sold in several markets, including the United States, such food products are not available in Europe due to EU regulation, which requires manufacturers to submit a Novel Food dossier to the European Food Safety Authority for approval.
Consumers responded differently to the study’s question about their main connection with precision fermentation technology. Danish consumers had negative connections, but the most commonly used terms in the UK, France, Denmark, and Germany were ‘artificial,”smart,’ and ‘future’. In the United Kingdom, the top associations were ‘interesting’, ‘friendly’, and ‘artificial’; in France,’microbes’, ‘fermentation’, and ‘health’; and in Germany, ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘animal’, and’microbes’.
Precision fermentation was highly connected with sustainability and eco-friendliness among consumers, placing the technique second only to plant-based alternatives in most nations. However, when it comes to what is considered ‘healthy’, precision fermentation came in last, with traditional and plant-based products being viewed as the healthiest, followed by hybrid dairy. Precision fermentation performed badly in terms of perceived taste and sensory appeal, prompting Banovic to recommend that producers and merchants use sensory marketing that promotes enticing tastes to counteract unfavorable taste judgments.
In terms of manufacturing technique, precision fermentation emerged as the most probable competitor to the plant-based category, while hybrid dairy – specifically products that blend conventional dairy with precision fermentation-derived components – were the second most popular among customers. Traditional dairy was the most popular option across all countries, reflecting the category’s market dominance and origins. Hybrid dairy, which included precision fermentation and traditional dairy components, finished in second place, whereas goods created solely from precision fermentation scored similarly to plant-based products.
The results indicate that there may be a need for a new dairy alternatives category that enhances the sensory and nutritional qualities of plant-based alternatives. Plant-based sales in Europe slowed in 2022, although the category grew in both value and sales terms. Banovic agreed that hybrid dairy might assist ease the transition to precision fermentation dairy in Europe.
The research found that Danish customers prefer hybrid goods over precision fermentation-derived dairy, but German and French consumers chose PF-derived milk alternatives. Plant-based dairy alternatives are trusted by UK consumers, but dairy milk is the most popular option, with the French having the biggest preference for conventional dairy. Danish buyers prefer a combination of traditional and precision-fermentation-derived protein products, whereas Germans narrowly favor a plant-based and precision fermentation hybrid. In protein bars, alternative production techniques are getting closer to catching up with traditional dairy, notably in Germany, where 24% of buyers choose plant-based alternatives to 28.7% who prefer conventional dairy.
When it came to buyers’ readiness to pay more for animal-free dairy, none of the four consumer groups were prepared to pay either the reference price or a projected price for precision fermentation products. The researchers discovered a very low purchase propensity and a high price sensitivity, indicating value-driven pricing models or a promotional discourse.
Younger customers, especially Millennials, proved to be more willing to test innovative dairy alternatives, with those under the age of 35 being more inclined to accept and purchase goods based on precision fermentation technology. While European consumers did not rate precision fermentation-derived dairy highly in terms of sensory experience or price, marketers may benefit from the technology’s perceived environmental credentials, as they are aware of positive associations such as a lower carbon footprint, environmental and animal welfare benefits, and so on.
