According to survey commissioned by PR and communications company Ingredient Communications and carried out by Surveygoo, almost a third of consumers say they would be happy to eat so-called ‘cultured meat’ – with vegans the group most likely to do so, according to new research.

+ 29% of consumers say they would eat cultured meat

+ 40% Americans are happy to do so

+ 60% of vegans are willing to give it a try

Surveygoo conducted an online survey of 1,000 consumers in the UK and USA. Respondents were told that cultured meat was real meat grown from cells in a laboratory and not sourced from animals. They were then asked if they would be willing to eat this type of meat if it was available to buy in shops and restaurants. In total, 29% said they would, 38% said they wouldn’t, and the remaining 33% said they didn’t know.

In what Surveygoo said was perhaps a surprising twist, vegan respondents were revealed as the consumer segment most likely to eat cultured meat, with 60% stating they would be willing to do so. The figure was lower for vegetarians (23%) and pescatarians (21%). Meanwhile, 28% of meat eaters – the largest cohort in the survey (888 of 1,000) – said they were prepared to give cultured meat a try.