Conventional salmon or novel salmon alternatives? An evaluation of consumers' perceptions and stated willingness to eat across different salmon concepts in Switzerland

In response to public concern about human health, fish welfare, and the environment, the salmon industry is seeking alternative ways of producing salmon with novel technologies such as land-based recirculated aquaculture systems, cell cultivation, and 3D printing. We conducted an online study to investigate consumers' attitudes towards different salmon production techniques. A total of 237 participants from Switzerland evaluated five salmon concepts (i.e., wild-caught, ocean-farmed, land-farmed 3D-printed cultured, and 3D-printed plant-based salmon), which were presented together with one of two final salmon product images (i.e., salmon fillet vs. sticks). Both qualitative data (initial association related to concerns and benefits) and quantitative data (evaluation facets) were assessed. The quantitative findings showed that the wild-caught salmon concept was the most favored with ocean- and land-based salmon concepts in second place. For the 3D-printed cultured and 3D-printed plant-based salmon concepts, participants stated the lowest stated willingness to eat. Fish attachment positively predicted stated willingness to eat for the land-based salmon concept. Concern about the environment and climate change positively predicted stated willingness to eat for the 3D-printed plant-based salmon concept. Food technology neophobia negatively predicted stated willingness to eat for the salmon alternative concepts. In addition, age was negatively associated with stated willingness to eat for the 3D-printed cultured and 3D-printed plant-based salmon concepts. Future salmon production and relevant research should therefore not only consider how to meet consumers' expectations on food healthiness, tastiness, and environmental friendliness but also focus on developing strategies for addressing food technology neophobia and building trust among consumers.