Abstract

The goal of this exploratory project was to determine whether the general population would be receptive to a new product that contains an atypical ingredient, namely cricket flour. To accomplish this goal the project team developed a recipe for two nutrition bars containing cricket flour, and conducted a market research study including 198 participants. Utilizing a blind taste test, the results of the study indicated that for 72 percent of the study, cricket flour would either have no impact (51%) or actually have a positive impact on their willingness to purchase (21%). Only a minority of our sample (28%) indicated that having cricket flour as one of the ingredients would negatively impact the purchase of the product. This is an important finding as it indicates that the stigma associated with consuming products that contain cricket flour may have been overstated, and that there are fewer barriers to entry that once anticipated. This paper discusses the implications of these findings as it pertains to the marketing of this type of product.