This study examined attitudes toward soy products from a food tasting with French and Vietnamese respondents. The study also explored if a shift in cultural attitudes toward soy products influenced personal attitudes by examining attitudes toward soy among French people living in Vietnam and Vietnamese people living in France. They found that lower soy consumption in France was driven by a perception of soy having an undesirable taste but, once living in Vietnam, French people were more likely to evaluate soy products more favorably. This suggests that adults have flexible food preferences into adulthood and that cultural environments can influence food attitudes. This study may be of interest to vegetarian and vegan advocates who are trying to promote the consumption of meat substitutes, suggesting that changing cultural attitudes toward meat substitutes can increase their desirability.

Article Abstract:

“This research investigates the cultural influence on beliefs about and attitudes towards soy foods (French from France vs. Vietnamese from Vietnam) and possible change of beliefs and attitudes and soy consumption habits with a change in cultural environment (French from France vs. French from Vietnam, Vietnamese from Vietnam vs. Vietnamese from France) of French and Vietnamese participants, two countries with very different soy food consumption.”

“Expressed beliefs and attitudes of soy foods resulting from discussions in focus groups, conducted in both countries, were collected and used to derive a questionnaire. French participants differ mainly from Vietnamese participants in questions associated to taste and price of soy foods. Both groups reported positive attitudes towards health benefits of soy foods. With a change in cultural environment, French participants showed a notable change in attitudes related to taste and price of soy foods and in soy consumption habit whereas almost no change was observed in Vietnamese participants. The asymmetry in magnitude of change and cultural differences in components of beliefs and attitudes are discussed.”