Consumers need clearer answers before they can trust precision fermentation, new report finds

Consumers may not fully understand precision fermentation yet, but many are curious enough to taste the results. New qualitative research from the EIT Food Consumer Observatory, published ahead of World Food Day on Oct. 16, suggests that this curiosity creates an important opportunity for food innovation, provided companies can answer consumers’ questions clearly and deliver on the first bite.

Precision fermentation uses microorganisms such as yeast or fungi to produce specific substances, like proteins or fats, which can then be used as food ingredients. The new EIT Food Consumer Observatory qualitative report, From Curiosity to Confidence: Developing effective messaging for products made with precision fermentation, explores how consumers respond to this food-production process and tests different ways of presenting products made with precision-fermented ingredients. EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

The study was conducted with 45 participants. In the first stage, participants explored their perceptions of precision fermentation. In the second stage, they assessed product concepts and communication narratives.

The study is intended to support food manufacturers, brands, retailers and other agrifood stakeholders in understanding how consumers respond to precision fermentation and how clearer, product-specific communication can help move consumers from curiosity toward confidence.

Curiosity is valuable, but also a challenge

Participants in the study described precision fermentation as brand new and innovative. While many were not yet convinced by the technology, they were curious enough to want to try a product before deciding what they thought of it. This creates an opportunity for food businesses, but also puts pressure on the first experience.

The report suggests that products need to deliver on expectations from the first trial if initial curiosity is to develop into acceptance.

At the same time, participants raised fundamental questions. Some struggled to understand how microorganisms are used in the production process, whether the resulting ingredients should be considered “real” or alternatives, and how safe the technology is. Others questioned its implications for farming and food-production jobs.

“Curiosity gives precision fermentation an opening, but consumers still have very basic questions about what the technology is and what it means for the food they eat,” says Klaus G. Grunert, professor of marketing at Aarhus University and lead of the EIT Food Consumer Observatory.

“If those questions are left unanswered, novelty can quickly turn into suspicion. And once consumers decide to try a product, the product needs to deliver on their expectations.”

One particular challenge was explaining the role of microorganisms clearly enough. Participants said vague descriptions could make precision fermentation sound almost like “magic,” leading some to wonder whether information was being withheld. The findings suggest that communicators need to strike a balance between making the science accessible and providing enough detail to be transparent.

Familiar food experiences can make unfamiliar technology easier to understand

The research found that consumers’ familiarity with traditional fermentation could provide a useful starting point. Foods such as bread, yogurt and cheese are already part of everyday diets, even though many participants did not immediately recognize them as fermented foods.

Connecting precision fermentation with this familiar food-production history made the technology feel less experimental to some participants. However, the report recommends combining this familiar framing with a clear explanation of how precision fermentation itself works, rather than relying on the comparison alone.

Sell the benefit, not simply the technology

The findings suggest that personal, tangible benefits should take priority in product communication. Taste, texture and nutritional value were identified as more compelling reasons to choose a product than messages centered primarily on why an existing ingredient should be replaced for sustainability or ethical reasons.

Broader benefits such as animal welfare and sustainability still mattered to participants, but tended to play a supporting rather than decisive role.

The study also warns against positioning new products simply as replacements for familiar favorites. Direct comparisons can encourage consumers to judge the innovation against the original product, which may set a difficult benchmark for an unfamiliar alternative.

Instead, the report recommends using precision fermentation to create products with a clear benefit of their own and capitalizing on curiosity around something genuinely new.

From curiosity to confidence

In summary, the report recommends that food manufacturers and brands:

• Make the technology understandable without hiding complexity.
• Capitalize on consumers’ willingness to try something new.
• Focus communication on tangible product benefits.
• Avoid presenting new foods simply as substitutes for familiar favorites.
• Ensure the product delivers on expectations from the first trial.

The findings come ahead of World Food Day 2026, held on Oct. 16 under the theme “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.” The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is using this year’s observance to highlight how innovation, alongside traditional knowledge and inclusive approaches, can contribute to the future of agrifood systems while safeguarding the planet for future generations.

“From Curiosity to Confidence” forms part of the EIT Food Consumer Observatory’s ongoing research into how consumers perceive emerging food technologies and what shapes their acceptance.

Who’s behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.

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Andrew Zinin

Master’s in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X’s editorial success.

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