Purpose This study explored how preparing insect-based foods at home influences attitudes toward entomophagy and sensory evaluation, filling a gap, as most Western research involves tasting sessions with foods prepared by others. Design/methodology/approach A total of 172 respondents from Belgium participated in this study. Participants had previously indicated that they accepted the consumption of edible insects and voluntarily agreed to participate in either a tasting activity or a cooking and tasting activity. Participants either prepared an insect-based muffin themselves or received a ready-to-eat muffin prepared by a third party. Findings No significant changes in attitudes were observed following either activity, although the high baseline acceptance limited the potential for further improvement. Nonetheless, those who prepared the insect-based muffin rated it higher on most sensory attributes compared to non-preparers. This finding is consistent with the previously described “I cooked it myself” effect, although the present study cannot establish that cooking itself caused the observed difference. Further research using direct measures of potential psychological mechanisms is therefore needed. Originality/value This study provides exploratory evidence on the association between personal preparation of an insect-based food and sensory evaluation in a home-based setting. It extends previous research on self-preparation and food appreciation to the context of edible insects.
Purpose This study examines the emerging research frontier of Food Analytics between 2016 and mid-2026. It identifies descriptors that show sustained novelty and growth, analyses how they combine into emergent thematic clusters, and synthesizes these clusters into broader research dimensions that shape the field's current research frontier. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a technological-intelligence design based on bibliometric tech mining and analyzes 1,967 Scopus-indexed publications using descriptor normalization, Porter's emergence indicators, document-level co-word analysis, and Louvain community detection. Emergent descriptors were identified using temporal growth and novelty criteria, clustered by co-occurrence, and interpreted comparatively to derive higher-order analytical dimensions. Findings The analysis identified 111 emergent descriptors organized into five Louvain communities after a sensitivity analysis of the emergence-ratio threshold and evaluation of cluster coverage and interpretability. The five-community solution was synthesized into four substantive dimensions: intelligent food quality and composition analytics; predictive and operational food-system analytics; personalized nutrition and consumer analytics; and semantic, generative, and knowledge-driven food analytics. The difference between the five communities and four dimensions reflects the integration of a predominantly methodological community across the substantive dimensions in which its methods are applied. Originality/value The study moves beyond technology-specific reviews by identifying emergence at the descriptor level and integrating overlapping clusters into a coherent framework of research dimensions. It provides a forward-looking account of how Food Analytics is expanding and clarifies the technological, methodological, and application areas most likely to shape its next stage of development.
Purpose This study examined food safety knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices (KAP) among home care attendants involved in meal preparation in New Taipei City, Taiwan. It also assessed whether knowledge and attitudes accounted for additional variance in safer self-reported practices beyond demographic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among certified home care attendants working in home-based long-term care agencies between February and May 2022. A total of 387 complete responses were analysed. The questionnaire included food safety knowledge (16 items), attitudes (13 items) and self-reported practices (11 items). Descriptive statistics, internal consistency analysis, Pearson correlation and hierarchical linear regression were performed. Regression diagnostics and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. The questionnaire was reviewed by four experts and pretested with 20 participants; further psychometric validation is warranted. Findings All three scales showed acceptable internal consistency. Knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices were positively correlated. Demographic characteristics alone accounted for little variance in self-reported practices. Adding knowledge and attitudes substantially improved model performance, and both domains were independently associated with safer self-reported practices. Weak points were identified in safe thawing, foodborne illness recognition and selected hygiene-related attitudes. Originality/value This study extends food safety KAP research to home care attendants, an under-studied domestic food-handling workforce that supports older adults in private households. The findings identify training-relevant knowledge, attitude and self-reported practice areas that warrant more explicit attention in home-care training and continuing education.
Purpose This study explores how social norms and cultural perceptions shape consumer behaviour toward insect-based foods in Nigeria. It examines the interplay between cultural heritage, marketing strategies, and policy frameworks in influencing consumer acceptance and situates these findings within global discussions on sustainable protein adoption. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative design was employed, using 30 semi-structured interviews with Nigerian consumers across rural and urban contexts. Thematic analysis guided the coding process, with attention to descriptive and injunctive norms from Social Norms Theory. Methodological rigour was ensured through validation, coding reliability, and reflexivity. Findings The study found that cultural heritage sustains entomophagy in rural Nigeria, but urbanisation, social stigma, and lack of institutional support undermine broader adoption. Marketing visibility and policy frameworks have the potential to reshape both descriptive norms (“what most people do”) and injunctive norms (“what people approve”), making insects a legitimate and aspirational protein source rather than a marginal or stigmatised practice. Originality/value This study advances research on alternative-protein acceptance by moving beyond individual-level explanations of insect consumption to examine how social norms are constructed and transformed across cultural, market and institutional environments. Drawing on qualitative evidence from Nigeria, the study demonstrates how descriptive norms concerning the visibility and prevalence of insect consumption interact with injunctive norms concerning social approval and legitimacy. It further identifies marketing visibility and institutional endorsement as mechanisms through which contested food practices may be repositioned as legitimate and aspirational forms of sustainable consumption. In doing so, the study extends Social Norms Theory to an underexamined African emerging-market context and develops a multi-level explanation of insect-based food acceptance.
