Realistic or not? The impact of packaging images on the acceptance of insect-based food products
| Date | 11 June 2024 |
| Pages | 203-214 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-09-2023-4749 |
| Published date | 11 June 2024 |
| Author | Valérie Hémar-Nicolas,Fanny Thomas,Céline Gallen,Gaëlle Pantin-Sohier |
Realistic or not? The impact of packaging
images on the acceptance of insect-based
food products
Val
erie H
emar-Nicolas
Facult
e Jean Monnet, RITM, Paris-Saclay University, Sceaux, France
Fanny Thomas
GRANEM, SFR Confluences, University of Angers, Angers, France
C
eline Gallen
IAE Nantes, LEMNA, University of Nantes, Nantes, France, and
Gaëlle Pantin-Sohier
GRANEM, SFR Confluences, University of Angers, Angers, France
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to examine the image realism effect, studying how changing the front-of-package visual affects the acceptance of an
insect-based food by consumers. By comparing reactions to realistic and less realistic images of an insect as an ingredient, this research investigated
how visual imagery can affect consumers’responses, reducing perceived disgust or increasing expected taste.
Design/methodology/approach –Three experiments studied the impact of realistic (photo) versus less realistic (drawing) images for two types of
insects (mealworm, cricket) on consumers’psychological distance from the image, perceived disgust, expected taste, willingness to eat, purchase
intention and food choice.
Findings –Study 1 demonstrates that using a less realistic insect image reduces perceived disgust, with psychologi cal distance from this image and
perceived disgust mediating realism effect on willingness to eat. Study 2 shows that a less realistic insect image, perceived as more remote,
improves expected taste and willingness to eat. Study 3 confirms the results by measuring behavior: consumers were more likely to choose the
product with the less realistic image.
Research limitations/implications –The research focused on one kind of product and two ways of depicting this product, limiting the
generalizability of the findings for other visual representations and product categories.
Practical implications –The findings suggest how brand managers can use the image realism effect on the packaging of novel, sustainable
products to influence consumers, reducing their disgust and increasing their expected taste.
Originality/value –This research breaks new ground by explaining how visual cues on packaging affect the acceptance of insect-eating, drawing
on construal level theory.
Keywords Construal level theory, Entomophagy, Food sustainability, Packaging, Visual imagery
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Traditional animal-based sources of protein account for about
37% of the protein consumedworldwide (Poore and Nemecek,
2018). This level of demand will soon be unsustainable due to
world population growth and the depletionof natural resources
caused by climate change, pollution and overexploitation
(Thavamani et al.,2020). Large amounts of greenhouse gases
and ammonia are emitted in the farming and production of
these traditional, animal-based sources of protein and high
quantities of water and cerealsare used for livestock feed (Van
Huis et al., 2013). In this context, it is imperativeto reduce the
quantities of meat, eggs and fish we consume and find other
sources of protein. Entomophagy(insect-eating) is a promising
and sustainable protein alternative,in that it provides
advantages in terms of nutrients, the environment and food
production costs (Van Huis et al.,2013). Insects are consumed
in many cultures and have been a staplesource of protein for
centuries. In Westerncountries, there is a wide range of barriers
to consumers adopting insect-based foods more widely, as in
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
34/2 (2025) 203–214
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-09-2023-4749]
This research was funded by project ANR CRI-KEE –Consumption and
Representations of Insects –Knowledge on their Edibility in Europe
(ANR-19-CE26-0003-01) and AAP RO Chair (Chair dedicated to the
benefits and acceptability of alternative proteins).
Received 28 September2023
Revised 19 February 2024
23 April 2024
7 May 2024
Accepted 7 May 2024
203
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