Abstract
Cellular agriculture uses cell-culturing and tissue-engineering technologies to produce animal tissues that are biologically, sensorially, and aesthetically similar in nearly every respect to those yielded by conventional livestock production and aquaculture. These technologies promise to satisfy the projected global demand for meat in ways that advance food security without compromising the environment, public health, or animal welfare. Previous studies suggest, however, that consumer acceptance of this “cultured meat” is by no means assured. Research is required to understand the behavioral, normative, and control beliefs and relevant background factors that may inform whether or not people choose to consume such products. For religious adherents, religious beliefs and norms are expected to present salient influences on food choice decisions. This concurrent mixed-methods study explored the influence of religion on Muslim Millennials’ beliefs about cellular agriculture and cultured meat consumption and intentions towards the latter. A majority of participants (94%) claimed they’d be willing to try either cultured beef or cultured fish (or both). Nevertheless, findings also suggest the compatibility of cultured meat consumption with Islamic dietary law and ethical principles will be important decision criteria for many Muslims. These findings also indicate that Muslim Millennials are likely to have different evidentiary thresholds for ascertaining that compatibility with sufficient certainty and will turn to different sources of normative guidance to gain desired levels of assurance. This research provides new insights into the convergence of faith and food at a time when challenges to sustainable food systems have made the search for alternative protein sources increasingly urgent. The projected growth of the global Muslim population over the remainder of this century and the increasing economic and cultural clout of Muslim Millennials underscore the importance of these populations for the future of cellular agriculture. While not generalizable to the broader U.S. or global Muslim populations, findings from this study extend our understanding of religion’s influence on lay public acceptance of cellular agriculture and cultured meat.