🐜 How the UK is Nudging Us to Eat Insects (And Why It Might Work) 🪲

Would you eat insects if the government made it easy? That’s exactly what the UK is aiming to achieve through clever nudging techniques rooted in behavioural science. While the idea of munching on crickets or mealworms might make some of us squirm, psychological strategies are helping to make insect-eating not just palatable but desirable. Here’s how:

1. Making Bugs Familiar: The Power of Exposure

The UK’s National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre is turning insect protein into everyday foods like burgers, cookies, and protein bars. By disguising insects in familiar forms, they’re reducing the “ick factor” and making it easier for people to give them a try.

👉 Science Behind It: This leverages the mere exposure effect, a psychological phenomenon where repeated exposure to something increases our liking for it. Studies show that the more we encounter a novel stimulus (like insect-based foods), the more comfortable and accepting we become. This is because familiarity reduces perceived risk and uncertainty.

(Further Example: Quorn, a meat substitute made from mycoprotein, faced similar scepticism when it launched in the 1980s. Today, it’s a staple in many households).

2. Reframing the Narrative: Changing Perceptions

Public campaigns are reframing insects as eco-friendly, nutritious, and future-forward. Instead of focusing on the “gross factor,” they’re highlighting the benefits:

• Sustainability: Insects require far less land, water, and feed than traditional livestock.

• Nutrition: They’re packed with protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins.

• Innovation: Eating bugs is framed as a forward-thinking, modern choice.

  
  

👉 Science Behind It: This uses framing effects, a concept from prospect theory, where the way information is presented influences our decisions. Positive framing activates the brain’s reward system, making us more likely to adopt the behaviour. By emphasising benefits over drawbacks, the campaigns shift the narrative from “ew” to “wow.”

(Further Example: Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have successfully reframed plant-based meat as a tasty, ethical, and sustainable choice).

3. Social Proof: Normalising Insect-Eating

As insect products hit supermarket shelves, seeing others try them will make us more likely to give them a go too. Social proof is a powerful motivator - if we see friends, influencers, or even celebrities eating bugs, we’re more likely to follow suit.

👉 Science Behind It: This leverages social proof, a principle from Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Humans are social creatures, and we look to others for cues on how to behave, especially in uncertain situations. When we perceive insect-eating as a growing trend, our brains interpret it as a safe and desirable choice.

(Further Example: The rise of oat milk was fuelled by social proof, with cafes and influencers endorsing it as a trendy, eco-friendly alternative to dairy).

4. Defaults and Convenience: Making It Easy

The UK is also making insect-based products more accessible by placing them in prominent supermarket aisles and offering them in ready to eat formats. By reducing the effort required to try them, they’re increasing the likelihood of adoption.

👉 Science Behind It: This uses choice architecture, a concept from behavioural economics. When options are presented in a way that reduces friction (e.g., placing insect-based products at eye level or near checkout counters), people are more likely to choose them. This taps into status quo bias, where we prefer options that require less cognitive effort.

(Further Example: Cafeterias that place healthier options at eye level see a significant increase in their consumption).

Why It Might Work

These nudges work because they address the psychological barriers to eating insects:

• Familiarity reduces the fear of the unknown.

• Reframing shifts perceptions from negative to positive.

• Social proof makes it feel normal and acceptable.

• Convenience lowers the barrier to trying something new.

  
  

At The Nudge Panel, we love seeing how behavioural science transforms everyday choices. Ready to nudge your business toward results? Let’s talk.