How to be sustainable in beef consumption - Exploring the factors. Case study

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to explain beef consumption through the economic indicators and the prediction tendencies of beef consumption. There are countries like Slovakia that confirm the opposite trend despite the global trend of consumption growth. In terms of the ecosystems' sustainability, beef production should be adjusted accordingly, as in the case of Slovakia. We focus on the economic aspect of beef consumption from the perspective of sustainability. Commodity prices are considered to be a significant factor influencing consumption and the behaviour of beef consumers. Despite increasing income in Slovakia, consumption of beef covers only 30% of recommended doses in the year 2018. To achieve the objective of the research, we decided to use the calculation of price and income elasticity of food demand using the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) model to analyse meat consumption trends. The findings confirm that beef consumption will decline in Slovakia in the following years, and it will be progressively replaced by pork and poultry meat.