Perceptions of fat content in meat products

Abstract

AbstractIndividuals, on average, tend to overestimate the amount of fat contained in meat products. Misperceptions of the fat content are greatest for pork products, averaging 11.1 percentage points higher than the actual fat content. The perceived percentage fat content of beef products averaged 6.6 points higher than actual. Fat perceptions also vary significantly across respondents. There are significant differences in median fat perceptions based on educational attainment, household type, household size, quantity of meat consumed, presence of children, and region of residence. If consumers with inaccurately high fat perceptions are concerned with the level of dietary fat intake, they may unnecessarily reduce their total meat consumption and/or substitute to meats that have lower perceived levels of fat. For those products that have relatively large and inaccurately high fat perceptions, consumer education programs may help increase market share. [EconLit Categories: D120, Q190]. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.