Food Neophobia in Gastronomic Encounters with Novel Natural Foods: Mechanisms and Strategies

Abstract

Edible insects, marine algae, animal by-products, and alternative protein sources offer considerable nutritional and sustainability potential, yet their unfamiliarity can create strong food-neophobia responses and restrict consumer acceptance. This study therefore aimed to identify the main mechanisms associated with food neophobia toward novel natural food resources and to examine how existing product and presentation strategies address these mechanisms. Qualitative content analysis and thematic synthesis were applied to 154 records published between 1980 and 2025. Familiarity and categorization emerged as the most frequently reported mechanism (62.3%), followed by sensory threat and exposure or learned safety (34.4% each), disgust (33.8%), social norms (31.8%), perceived risk (29.8%), and information uncertainty (29.8%). Application studies focused mainly on naming and framing (57.1%), familiarization (52.4%), and explanation (47.6%). The descriptive comparison showed that information and trust received relatively greater attention in applications, whereas disgust and learned safety were addressed less frequently. Overall, the findings suggest that acceptance strategies are likely to be more effective when they respond to the mechanism driving avoidance rather than relying on a single communication or presentation technique.