ESCP Europe

Langue

English

Publication year

01/04/2026

Symbolic values are shaped by consumers' social environment and specific experiences with a food product. Consumers seek satisfaction from the symbolic value of certain food products to express their personality or to signal something to others in their social environment. This contrasts with food values, where consumers seek satisfaction based on their perceived quality of the food product, which is strongly linked to the product itself. This study explores the dimensions of consumers' perceived importance of symbolic and food values in their daily food choices. It also examines how these value dimensions are associated with their willingness to eat traditional, exotic, animal-based, plain, and gourmet dishes made with and without cultured food. Data were collected through an online survey of 1040 consumers in Japan and analyzed using principal component analysis and linear regression. Four value dimensions were identified: symbolic value, product value, ethical value, and security value. Cooked dishes made with cultured food were significantly associated with all four value dimensions. Animal-based dishes were significantly associated with product value, ethical value, and security value. Exotic dishes (e.g., Chinese and Western dishes) were significantly associated with symbolic value, product value, and security value. Traditional Japanese dishes (washoku) and plain dishes were significantly associated with product value and security value. Gourmet dishes were significantly associated only with symbolic value. These findings highlight the multifaceted role of symbolic and food values in shaping consumers' adoption of cooked dishes made with and without cultured food ingredients.