Attitudes and beliefs of Eastern European meat consumers–a review

I Tomasevic,D Vujadinovic,Bg Solowiej,V Djordjevic,I Djekic

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/854/1/012098

Abstract

Eastern European consumers are traditional meat eaters who are still not looking forward in order to substitute their traditional meat-based dishes with meat analogues or their substitutes. In general, vegetarianism is in its infancy if we do not take into account Lenten fasting, the period of the year when in Orthodox countries of Eastern Europe one can find food not containing meat, dairy and eggs, widely available. Chicken meat is the most frequently consumed type of meat, and it is preferred because it is easy to prepare. Eastern European meat consumers believe that meat from castrated pigs is of better quality, and one third of them is indifferent towards animal welfare issues. The highest proportion of Eastern European consumers (42.9%) believes that game meat has many health benefits, is rich in proteins and is more organic than other types of meat. However, two thirds of Eastern European consumers eat game meat less than once a year. Differences in attitudes and beliefs of Eastern European meat consumers compared to their Western European equivalents are evident.

Highlights

Nothing is the same as it was back in the 1990s when it comes to European meat consumption and production inclinations
Eastern European meat consumers believe that meat from castrated pigs is of better quality, and one third of them is indifferent towards animal welfare issues
The highest proportion of Eastern European consumers (42.9%) believes that game meat has many health benefits, is rich in proteins and is more organic than other types of meat

Summary

Introduction

Nothing is the same as it was back in the 1990s when it comes to European meat consumption and production inclinations. The major reason that has chased away European consumers from beef meat is their apprehension towards environmental sustainability of its production, as is the case in Japan [3] and Brazil [4]. Attitudes and beliefs of European meat consumers are important to all stakeholders in the food (meat) chain, and not surprisingly, they have already been investigated on numerous occasions and explored from different aspects in the past. Until recently, attitudes and beliefs of Eastern European meat consumers remained unknown to scientific readers, the research community and public in general.

Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Findings

Conclusions