Exploring Muslim Consumers’ Acceptance of Cultured Beef Meat

Rika Terano (Department of Agribusiness Management, Faculty of International Agriculture and Food Studies, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan)
Yuji Matsuyoshi (Department of Bioresource Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Japan)
Azrina Azmi Aida (Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia)
Nurul Nadia Ramli (Department of Agribusiness and Bioresource Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia)
Zainal Abidin Mohamed (Department of Agribusiness and Bioresource Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia)

AGRARIS: Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development Research
Vol. 9 No. 1: January-June 2023

The advancement in cultured meat research in cellular agriculture has greatly surged. The concerns of halalness and thayibban (cleanliness and permissibility to consume) of cultured beef meat will arise among Muslim consumers, prompting the question, “Who will consume the cultured meat, and are Muslims ready to consume it?” This study aimed to clarify how Muslims perceive cultured meat and the issues surrounding their acceptance. A chi-square test and a binary logistic regression analysis were applied to reveal the acceptance of cultured meat. The results revealed that 44.1% of the respondents accepted cultured meat as their food, while 55.9% expressed doubts due to religious concerns. Their attitudes toward cultured meat influenced their decision to accept it as food. Some consumers had high expectations for cultured meat because they believed it would be superior in taste and have nutritional value and health effects. In conclusion, those Muslims who did not doubt cultured meat accepted it as future food with expectations for better function and value.