Cellular agriculture has the potential to transform food production, offering sustainable, animal‐free alternatives that could reshape our food systems. However, for this promise to be fully realized, consumer acceptance of these novel products is essential. This presentation synthesizes current findings regarding consumer acceptance and willingness to pay for cellular agricultural products. The analysis explores key factors that inform consumer attitudes, including perceptions of product safety, environmental sustainability, ethical considerations, and the perceived naturalness of lab‐grown alternatives. The review highlights how demographic variables, cultural influences, and information dissemination shape consumer acceptance. Additionally, it contrasts consumer acceptance of cellular agriculture with that of plant-based substitutes currently on the market. Finally, the presentation will discuss the pitfalls of relying on hypothetical surveys to gauge acceptance, emphasizing how real-world interactions with cellular agriculture products may yield preferences that differ significantly from those predicted by survey-based methods.
Peter Slade is an associate professor and Canadian Canola Growers Association chair in agricultural policy. His research examines the effects of Canadian agricultural policy and consumer adoption of plant-based foods and diets. Peter has published widely in food, economics, and agricultural economics journals. He holds a PhD from the University of Guelph and is a member of the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics.