Does novel food differ in cultural contexts? A comparative analysis of Japanese and Singaporean cultural acceptance through text analysis of mass media

Abstract

Novel foods include foods which are expected to be major sources of protein, such as cultured meat and insects. They can reduce environmental impacts due to production. However, producing such novel foods involves ethical considerations including social acceptance. The discourse related to novel foods is expanding; hence, this study analyzed them through news articles, comparing Japan and Singapore. The former uses spearheading technology to produce cultured meat, and the latter is in the early phase of cultured meat production while still using insects as a traditional source of protein for the diet. This study identified the characteristics of the discourse of novel foods using text analysis methods comparing Japan and Singapore. Specifically, contrasting characteristics were identified based on different sets of cultural and religious norms and backgrounds. Japan has a tradition of entomophagy, and a startup private company was highlighted in mass media. In Singapore, although the country is one of the leading countries producing novel foods, entomophagy itself is not popular; this is because major religions in Singapore do not recommend or prohibit eating insects. For the government policy, the specific standards of entomophagy and cultured meat are still in development in Japan and other majority of countries. We propose an integrated analysis of standards for novel foods, and social acceptance is needed to provide insights into the development of novel foods.

Keywords

• Cultured meat
• Entomophagy
• Synthetic food
• Plant-based meat alternatives
• Co-occurrence network