1.6 Billion Yen in Agricultural Damage and 80% of Meat Discarded: Food Loss or Sustainable Protein Source? The Real Reason Japanese People Can't Choose Game Meat

"Gibier is a bit scary"—A single comment that leads to massive food waste

"I've heard it's delicious, but somehow it's scary," "It seems smelly," "I'm worried about parasites."
Many people have probably heard such reactions when the topic of gibier cuisine comes up.

On the other hand, different voices can be heard from farmers in mountainous areas.
"Deer and wild boars that ravage fields are being culled more and more, but most of the meat is thrown away. Honestly, it's beyond wasteful; it even feels like a sin."

In Japan, the agricultural damage caused by wild animals exceeds 1.6 billion yen annually, and the culling carried out as a countermeasure is increasing every year. However, it is said that more than 80% of the meat from captured deer and wild boars is discarded.Phys.org

From the perspective of "taking life" and "sustainable protein source," this gap is not small.

So why is it that Japanese people don't eat gibier so much?
A research team from Tohoku University has delved deeply into this psychological "invisible wall."Phys.org

Deciphering "Gibier Avoidance" through the Lens of Psychology

This study is based on the "Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)," commonly used in social psychology. TRA is the idea that "a person's behavior can be predicted by their attitude toward the behavior and the social pressure (subjective norms) from those around them."

The research team expanded this TRA to fit the context of gibier as a "new food." Specifically,

• Food Neophobia:
  The fear or resistance felt towards unknown foods or unfamiliar ingredients

• Experience with consuming gibier:
  People who have already eaten gibier versus those who have no experience at all

These two external factors were added to the model to examine how they influence whether people want to eat gibier.Phys.org

An online survey collected 537 valid responses, which were analyzed using a statistical model (PLS-SEM). It's quite a thorough "psychology x data" study.Tohoku University

What Emerged: "Taste over Environment," "Safety over Ideals"

The analysis revealed that attitudes towards gibier are not simply "like/dislike" but are divided into several elements. These include:

• Expectations of taste and texture (whether it seems delicious)

• Images of safety and hygiene

• Whether it seems healthy

• Images of contributing to the environment and animal welfare

There are multiple dimensions like these.

However,what actually strongly drives the intention to "eat" is not environmental considerations or ethics, but rather "taste," "safety," and "health"—the "quality image."Phys.org

Messages like "Let's eat because it's good for the environment" or "Let's eat to reduce food waste" are certainly seen often on social media and in campaigns. However, at the consumer's honest level,

"Even if it's good for the environment, if it tastes bad, I don't want it."
"I won't deliberately choose something if I'm unsure about its safety."

These feelings are prioritized.

The Biggest Brake is the Instinct that "Unknown Things are Dangerous"

Another factor that strongly influenced the study wasfood neophobia.Phys.org

This is a psychological term indicating resistance to novel foods, said to be a remnant of the "poison avoidance instinct" that humans developed through evolution. It's that feeling of "It's safer not to eat mushrooms you've never seen before."

In this analysis, food neophobia emerged asthe biggest psychological hurdle to accepting gibier. People with strong fears of unknown ingredients tend to have negative views of gibier, perceiving it as "somehow of low quality" or "lax in hygiene management," leading to the behavioral intention of "I don't plan to eat it."Phys.org

In other words, the psychological chain of "it's scary because I don't know it → it seems low quality because it's scary → so I don't choose it" is occurring.

Do People Who Have Tried It Once Become "Different Personalities"?

Interestingly,the behavior patterns themselves changed between those who had already experienced gibier and those who had never eaten it.Phys.org

Among the respondents, about 40% were people who had "eaten gibier." In this "experienced group,"

• the positive experiences when actually eating

• the sense of security from hygiene management felt at shops and municipal events

• the surprise that it was less gamey and more delicious than expected

accumulated,greatly improving the quality image. As a result, the influence of food neophobia weakened, leading to intentions like "I want to eat it again" and "I want to try other dishes."

On the other hand,the inexperienced group had to judge based on imagination. Images like "meat caught in the mountains" and "it seems to have a strong smell of blood" directly lowered their quality evaluation.

This difference is very suggestive from a marketing perspective.
"How to increase the number of gibier experiencers" could be the key to expanding acceptance.

The "Realistic Prescription" Suggested by the Study

Based on these analysis results, the research team highlighted the following points as suggestions for policy and business.Phys.org

1. Visualization of Thorough Quality and Hygiene Management

   • Development of processing facilities in line with international standards

   • Display of traceability and hygiene inspection results

   • Clearly convey the sense of security that "gibier is properly managed" on packaging and menus

2. Expansion of Tasting Opportunities

   • Tasting booths at roadside stations, events, and festivals

   • "Gibier Day" at school and company cafeterias

   • Expand "surprisingly okay" from small bite experiences

3. Incorporation into "Familiar Dishes"

   • Use gibier in everyday menus like curry, hamburgers, Bolognese, and rice bowls

   • Lower the visual and taste hurdles and let people start from a level where they "can't tell the difference from regular meat"

4. Environmental and Regional Contribution as a "Message that Works Later"

   • Instead of saying "Please endure it for the environment" from the start,
     make it "It's delicious, and as a result, it contributes to reducing food waste."

It's important not to treat gibier as just a "special gourmet" but to reposition it as **"delicious everyday food" + "sustainable as a result."**

What is Being Discussed on Social Media

The research findings were distributed worldwide not only through Tohoku University's official site and press releases but also via science news sites like Asia Research News and EurekAlert!.Tohoku University

News was also introduced on the university's official X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts,
with messages like "A large amount of gibier is being discarded in Japan" and "Analyzed how to overcome psychological barriers" being disseminated in both English and Japanese.X (formerly Twitter)

When organizing actual comments on social media and typical reactions when similar news is released, a kind of "clash of viewpoints" becomes apparent.

1. The "It's Wasteful" and "Should Be Used Sustainably" Group

• "If it's going to be thrown away, I want it to be properly processed and used as food."

• "It's contradictory to eat only imported beef while discarding domestic gibier."

• "If you're going to cull them as pests, at least have a system to utilize them fully."

Such voices are often seen from those highly concerned about environmental issues and food waste. It's not uncommon for it to be discussed from the perspective of "Japan's food self-sufficiency rate."

2. The "Concerns About Hygiene and Safety" Group

• "How thoroughly is the meat caught in the mountains inspected?"