Explaining the Intention to Consume 3D-Printed Food via the Food Technology Acceptance Model and Trust Dynamics

New food technologies, such as 3D printing, are key for sustainable food innovation. As the success of these technologies depends on consumer acceptance, this paper presents two quantitative studies exploring the factors that influence consumers' intention to consume 3D-printed food. In the first study, conducted with 463 German consumers, we tested a sector-specific food technology acceptance model (FTAM) alongside the generic theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to predict consumer intention to consume 3D-printed food. Structural equation modeling identified factors that significantly influence this intention to consume, including trust in institutions, subjective knowledge, perceived benefits, and perceived risks, as well as subjective norm. To explore the role of trust, the second study conducts an online experiment with 154 German students, assessing how the provision of information impacts calculative and affective trust in the food industry. Findings show that while the information treatment has no effect on calculative trust, affective trust significantly predicts calculative trust both directly and indirectly through the perceived credibility of the provided information. Both studies enhance the theoretical understanding of new food technology evaluation by being the first to apply the FTAM and highlighting the importance of integrating both affective (emotional) and calculative (rational) trust components in trust models. Practically, it underscores the necessity for the food industry to build trust with consumers through transparent and credible communication to effectively address safety, health, and environmental concerns.