Kenyan Consumers’ Experience of Using Edible Insects as Food and Their Preferences for Selected Insect-Based Food Products

Abstract

In this chapter we present information in relation to consumption, purchase experience, consumption frequency and peoples’ perceptions of how others see edible insects as food in Kenya. Two edible insects, namely termites (Macrotermes subhyalinus) and mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) were considered to study Kenyan consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for termite-based food products (TBFPs) and their reactions to using mealworms as food. In the research, whole and processed insects were considered in order to examine consumers’ WTP for TBFPs in different products formats and contexts. The data originates from a choice experiment survey conducted between December 2014 and January 2015 involving a sample of Kenyan consumers. To ensure a high degree of representativeness of the sample, five counties including Siaya, Kisumu, Nairobi, Kakamega and Machakos were chosen due to their diversity with regard to insect consumption traditions, regions (rural or urban), and socio-demographic factors (age, education and gender). In total, 611 consumers who were either household heads or spouses were randomly sampled in the survey areas and interviewed using face-to-face interviews.