Preferred Beef Research Articles

Is the Natural Label Misleading? Examining Consumer Preferences for Natural Beef

AbstractA petition to the USDA claims that natural labeling misleads consumers. We investigate this claim using an online choice experiment to determine consumer willingness to pay for steak labeled as natural. Half of the sample was provided with the definition of natural, while half was not. The absence of the definition resulted in consumers placing a premium on “natural” steak, while those provided with the definition were not willing to pay a premium. Similarly, participants who consider themselves familiar with the natural definition did not place a premium on “natural” steak. Results indicate that consumers may misinterpret the natural label.

Mexican consumers at the point of meat purchase. Beef choice

Within-consumer preference replication achieved through systematic image manipulation was used in consumer surveys in four cities across Mexico (Mexico City, n=195; Guadalajara, n=100; Hermosillo, n=132; Veracruz, n=61) to study beef preferences. Images of beef steaks controlled for lean and fat colour, fat cover and marbling were presented to consumers to determine the characteristics used in beef choice and the levels of preference of these characteristics. The most important choice criteria were fat cover (62% preferring little fat cover) and marbling (59% preferring non-marbled). Lean colour was also important with 24% and 29% choosing light and dark red beef, respectively. Fat colour was the least important of the four attributes studied (18% and 19% choosing white and yellow, respectively), but was nevertheless important given that 43% of consumers used three or four characteristics to make their choice. Imported and domestic beef in the Mexican marketplace appear to respond to the range of consumers' beef preferences at the point of purchase.

Where's the beef? Retail channel choice and beef preferences in Argentina

Argentinean beef is recognized and demanded internationally. Locally, consumers are often unable to afford certified beef products, and may rely on external cues to determine beef quality. Uncovering demand for beef attributes and marketing them accordingly, may require an understanding of consumers' product purchasing strategies, which involves retailer choice. We develop a framework utilizing latent class analysis to identify consumer groups with different retailer preferences, and separately estimate their demand for beef product attributes. This framework accounts for the interrelationship between consumers' choice of retail outlets and beef product preferences. Our analysis of data from the city of Buenos Aires identifies two groups of consumers, a convenience- (67%) and a service- (33%) oriented group. We find significant differences in demand for beef attributes across these groups, and find that the service oriented group, while not willing to pay for credence attributes, relies on a service-providing retailer—namely a butcher—as a source of product quality assurance.

Classification and characterization of Japanese consumers' beef preferences by external preference mapping.

Over the past few decades, beef producers in Japan have improved marbling in their beef products. It was recently reported that marbling is not well correlated with palatability as rated by Japanese consumers. This study sought to identify the consumer segments in Japan that prefer sensory characteristics of beef other than high marbling. Three Wagyu beef, one Holstein beef and two lean imported beef longissimus samples were subjected to a descriptive sensory test, physicochemical analysis and a consumer (n = 307) preference test. According to consumer classification and external preference mapping, four consumer segments were identified as 'gradual high-fat likers', 'moderate-fat and distinctive taste likers', 'Wagyu likers' and 'distinctive texture likers'. Although the major trend of Japanese consumers' beef preference was 'marbling liking', 16.9% of the consumers preferred beef samples that had moderate marbling and distinctive taste. The consumers' attitudes expressed in a questionnaire survey were in good agreement with the preference for marbling among the 'moderate-fat and distinctive taste likers'. These results indicate that moderately marbled beef is a potent category in the Japanese beef market. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fresh Beef Steak Purchasing Motivation is affected by Demographics and Beef Preferences of Consumers

ObjectivesA consumer study was conducted to measure the impact of demographics and beef preferences on purchasing motivators of fresh beef steaks.Materials and MethodsPanelists were recruited in conjunction with a beef consumer panel in 4 cities in the United States. Consumers (n = 480; 120/city) were evenly distributed in Lubbock, Texas; Manhattan, Kansas; San Francisco, California; and Gainesville, Florida. Consumers were asked to evaluate the importance of purchasing motivators when buying fresh beef steaks on a 10-cm, verbally anchored line scale. The motivators included animal welfare (WEL); antibiotic use in the animal (ANT); brand of product (BRAND); color; diet of animal (corn, grass, vegetarian fed; DIET); eating satisfaction claims (ex: guaranteed tender; CLAIM); familiarity with cut (CUT); growth hormone use in the animal (HORM); local; natural or organic claims (NATORG); nutrient content (NUTR); packaging type (PACK); price; size, weight and thickness; and USDA grade (marbling). Demographics obtained included gender, household size, marital status, age, ethnic origin, annual household income and education level. Beef preferences identified included weekly beef consumption, most important palatability trait when eating beef, degree of doneness (DOD) preferred when eating beef, and meat product preferred for flavor. Statistical analyses were conducted using the procedures of SAS (Version 9.3; SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC). Treatment comparisons were tested for significance using PROC GLIMMIX with ɑ = 0.05.ResultsTraits including WEL, ANT, BRAND, color, DIET, HORM, local, NATORG, NUTR, PACK and price were of more (P < 0.05) importance to females than males. Married consumers put greater (P < 0.05) purchasing emphasis on ANT, DIET, CLAIM, CUT, HORM and local than single consumers. Californians had higher (P < 0.05) average ratings for WEL, ANT, color, DIET, HORM, local and NATORG, than all other states. Household sizes of > 5 people placed more (P < 0.05) importance on BRAND, DIET, and NUTR than consumers from smaller households. Consumers with 1 to 2 people per household placed less (P < 0.05) importance on ANT and local purchasing motivators compared to larger households. Antibiotics, DIET, HORM, local and NATORG were more (P < 0.05) important to consumers over 60 yr old than to consumers under 29 yr old. Caucasian/White consumers placed less (P < 0.05) importance on BRAND, HORM, NATORG, NUTR and PACK than other ethnicities. As household income increased, consumers were more (P < 0.05) concerned about ANT and HORM. Heavy beef eaters (4 or more times/wk) were less (P < 0.05) influenced by WEL, ANT, color, DIET, HORM, local, NATORG, and NUTR, but more (P < 0.05) influenced by USDA grade than light beef eaters (0 to 3 times/wk). In general, as DOD preference increased from rare to well-done, importance of WEL, ANT, DIET, HORM, local, NATORG, and NUTR increased. Consumers who preferred flavor of beef viewed WEL, ANT, HORM, NATORG, NUTR, PACK, and price less (P < 0.05) concerning than consumers who prefer flavor of other meat proteins.ConclusionGender, marital status, geographic location, household size, age, ethnic origin, annual household income, weekly beef consumption, DOD preference, and flavor preference affected many beef purchasing motivators of consumers. It is important to consider the demographics and preferences of consumers when marketing fresh beef steaks.

Identifying Consumer Preference for Beef Raised with Different Production Systems

Identifying Consumer Preference for Beef Raised with Different Production Systems

Effects of 0.5% carbon monoxide in modified atmosphere packagings on selected quality attributes of M. Longissimus dorsi beef steaks

AbstractThis study evaluated the effects of the periods of 0.5% CO exposure in two modified atmosphere packagings (MAP) with gas composition of 0.5% CO, 30% CO2 and 69.5% N2, as compared with conventional vacuum packaging (Vac) on the quality of packaged beef steaks (M. longissimus dorsi) stored for 21 days at 2 °C. In the first MAP solution, the beef steaks were packed in the MAP for 48 hr and then repacked in vacuum packaging (CO‐Vac), while beef steaks were packed in the MAP (CO‐MAP) in the second solution. Results indicated that using CO significantly increased the brightness and the redness of beef steaks in both CO‐Vac and CO‐MAP packaging systems during storage for 21 days and Polish consumers preferred beef steaks in CO‐Vac with a cherry/dark red and purple red. Our result proved that CO‐Vac should have wider applications than MAP on the market.Practical applicationsThe use of 0.5% carbon monoxide for packaging fresh meat has been recognized by the European Scientific Committee on Food as safe for humans; however, the application of the gas in the EU member states is prohibited. On the other hand, in some other countries, such as the USA, Canada and New Zealand, low concentrations of carbon monoxide are used for meat packing. This study evaluated the effects of the periods of 0.5% CO exposure in two modified atmosphere packagings with gas composition of 0.5% CO, 30% CO2, and 69.5% N2, as compared with conventional vacuum packaging on the quality of packaged beef steaks (M. longissimus dorsi) stored for 21 days at 2 °C. The study confirmed that Polish consumers have the greatest desire to purchase the vacuum packed steaks after exposure in carbon monoxide and thus the decision to ban the use of this gas in the EU should be reconsidered.

Gustos y preferencias de los consumidores de carne de res de Puerto Rico

En Puerto Rico se produjo solo el 12.7% del consumo de carne de res per cápita en el 2010. En este trabajo se estudiaron los gustos y preferencias de los consumidores y la disponibilidad a pagar por carne de res de Puerto Rico, para lo cual se diseñó un cuestionario. Los resultados reflejan que los participantes preferían el pollo sobre la carne de res y la carne de res sobre la carne de cerdo. Entre los resultados se encontró que los participantes prefieren el churrasco (31%) pero compran mayormente carne molida (84%). A los participantes se les preguntó sobre las razones para no comprar carne de res de Puerto Rico y se encontró que el precio, con 31%, y la falta de disponibilidad, con 19%, fueron las alternativas que más seleccionaron. En cuanto a la disponibilidad a pagar se encontró que el 69% de los participantes estaban dispuestos a pagar más por el bistec de Puerto Rico.

Consumer acceptance of insect-based alternative meat products in Western countries

During the past few years, entomophagy has been increasing in significance. As insects are generally high in protein, they are principally considered as meat substitutes. Nevertheless, in Western countries, meat substitute consumption is actually very low, principally due to food neophobia and poor sensory qualities in comparison with meat. In insect particular case, food neophobia is clearly high. To reduce insect food neophobia, previous studies suggest to insert invisible insect in food preparation and/or to associate them with known flavors. In this study, a survey on entomophagy perception and hedonic tests were realized to assess the level of sensory-liking of hybrid insect-based burgers (beef, lentils, mealworms and beef, mealworms and lentils). Participants’ overall liking of the four burgers differed between genders and was influenced by burger appearance and taste. Women clearly preferred beef burger appearance, whereas men preferred the appearance of beef and insect-based burgers. Concerning insect-based burger taste, participants (men and women) rated it intermediately, between that of the beef and lentil burger, with a preference for the mealworm and beef burger. Results also showed that people with previous entomophagy experience was limited but that they gave globally higher ratings to all preparations. In conclusion, insect tasting sessions are important to decrease food neophobia, as they encourage people to “take the first step” and become acquainted with entomophagy. Nevertheless, insect integration into Western food culture will involve a transitional phase with minced or powdered insects incorporated into ready-to-eat preparations, as people are not ready to add insects to their diets in “whole form.”

Chemical compositions, free amino acid contents and antioxidant activities of Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) beef by cut

The objective of this study was to evaluate chemical compositions, free amino acid contents, and antioxidant activities of different cuts of Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) beef. Beef preferences and prices in the Korean market depend on cut. Therefore, comparisons were made between high-preference cuts (group 1 [G1], including loin, tenderloin, and rib) and low-preference cuts (group 2 [G2], including brisket, topside, and shank). Meat samples were collected from 10 fattened cows. Crude fat content was significantly higher in G1 than in G2 (p<0.05). The amounts of crude protein and total free amino acid were negatively correlated with crude fat content (p<0.05). Overall G2 contained higher levels of free amino acids with antioxidant activity than G1. Antioxidant activities were also significantly higher in G2 compared with G1 (p<0.05). In conclusion, providing consumers with positive information about G2 as found in this study could help health-conscious consumers choosing among beef products and further promote increased consumption of low-preference beef cuts.

Status of Dietary Life Related Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, Food Preference and Dietary Behavior of Preschoolers in Kyunggi Area

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine dietary life characteristics such as knowledge, self-efficacy and dietary behavior of preschoolers in Namyangju, Kyunggi-province, Korea. Methods: The survey questionnaire was developed based on literature review. Preschoolers aged 4-5 years (n=208) responded to the questionnaire to measure knowledge, self-efficacy, food preference, and dietary behavior. After excluding incomplete responses, the data of 197 subjects were used for analysis. Results: Mean score of dietary life knowledge was 8.0 out of 12, showing a low level of knowledge. Two out of 12 knowledge items were significantly different by gender. Percentage of correct answer on items of 'foods to make bones strong' and 'kinds of fast foods' was higher in girls than in boys (p<0.05). Total score of self-efficacy regarding dietary life was 40.1 (possible score: 12~48), on average. Compared to girls, boys had more confidence in 'not over-eating', and 'eating balanced meals with meat, fish and vegetables' (p<0.05). Boys scored higher on total score of food preference than girls (p<0.01). The preference for fruits was quite high. Among food items, boys scored higher on the preference for rice (p<0.01), fish (p<0.01), pork (p<0.05), beef (p<0.05), milk (p<0.01), and ice cream (p<0.05) than girls. Boys also liked fast foods more than girls did, showing preference for chicken (p<0.01) and soda (p<0.05). Compared to girls, boys showed more desirable behavior in 'eating breakfast everyday' (p<0.01). Dietary behavior was significantly correlated with self-efficacy (r=0.52, p<0.01), food preference (r=0.35, p<0.01), and knowledge (r=0.25, p<0.01) of subjects. Conclusions: In this study, we observed differences in food preference by gender. Dietary behavior of preschoolers was correlated with several factors, including dietary life related knowledge, self-efficacy and food preference. Thus, it is needed to develop nutrition education programs focusing on increasing dietary life related knowledge and self-efficacy, and consider the differences in food preference of preschoolers by gender. Korean J Community Nutr 21(3): 274~283, 2016

Identifying consumer preferences for specific beef flavor characteristics in relation to cattle production and postmortem processing parameters

Sensory analysis of ground LL samples representing 12 beef product categories was conducted in 3 different regions of the U.S. to identify flavor preferences of beef consumers. Treatments characterized production-related flavor differences associated with USDA grade, cattle type, finishing diet, growth enhancement, and postmortem aging method. Consumers (N=307) rated cooked samples for 12 flavors and overall flavor desirability. Samples were analyzed to determine fatty acid content. Volatile compounds produced by cooking were extracted and quantified. Overall, consumers preferred beef that rated high for beefy/brothy, buttery/beef fat, and sweet flavors and disliked beef with fishy, livery, gamey, and sour flavors. Flavor attributes of samples higher in intramuscular fat with greater amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids and lesser proportions of saturated, odd-chain, omega-3, and trans fatty acids were preferred by consumers. Of the volatiles identified, diacetyl and acetoin were most closely correlated with desirable ratings for overall flavor and dimethyl sulfide was associated with an undesirable sour flavor.

Impact of hedonic evaluation on consumers' preferences for beef attributes including its enrichment with n-3 and CLA fatty acids

The impact of hedonic evaluation on consumers' preferences for beef attributes was evaluated (origin, animal diet, fat content, color, price) including its enrichment with omega-3 (n-3) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) fatty acids. One group of consumers (n=325) received information about n-3 and CLA, while the other group (n=322) received no information. Consumers conducted a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE), using the recently developed Generalized Multinomial Logit model; followed by a blind hedonic evaluation of beef samples, which were identified after tasting, and finally repeated the DCE. Results showed that hedonic evaluation had a significant impact on consumers' preferences, which were similar after tasting for all consumers, with less emphasis on the fat content, color, and origin attributes and greater emphasis on animal diet. Preference for n-3 enriched beef increased, while preference for CLA enriched beef was still not significant after tasting. The information provided had a significant effect on consumers' beef preferences, but no significant impact on beef liking scores.

Mothers 'don't like it; never tried it': Blind Sensory Test of a Homemade Chicken Liver Baby Food, a Source of Iron, by Infants and their Mothers.

A homemade chicken liver baby food (CLBF) that meets infants' nutritional requirements was developed and its acceptance by children and their mothers determined. CLBF's nutritional content was determined by chemical analyses. A blind sensory test (ST) by 50 infants 7-12 months old and their mothers of CLBF and ground beef baby food (GBBF) was applied. Mothers' preferences for liver and beef, answers of an hedonic scale and infants' acceptance were investigated. CLBF met the nutritional requirements for infants. There were no significant differences in the ST between the CLBF and GBBF, either for infants or for their mothers. There was no correlation between mothers' like or dislike of liver and the ST scores. Infants tried and liked the CLBF that match dietary recommendations and could help prevent iron deficiency. Mothers, on the other hand, demonstrated an 'I don't like it; I never tried it' attitude.

Dispatches

Dispatches

Estimations of Consumer Demand for Local Beef

In this article, we explore the role of local production as an attribute in consumer preferences for beef and attempt to quantify consumers’ purchasing behavior with respect to changes in price. We develop and employ a survey instrument using a randomly selected sample of consumers in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Using data from the survey, we use conjoint analysis to estimate own-price elasticities of demand for beef produced using different production technologies and at different distances from purchase site to place of origin. Results show that consumer demand for beef and beef products is highly elastic, and the implications of this for producers and marketers are explored.

A survey of foodservice satisfaction and menu preference of high school boarding students in Jeju

Purpose: This study analyzed the foodservice satisfaction and menu preference of 506 high school boarding students in Jeju surveyed from July 2-30, 2012 with the aim of providing basic data for improving the quality of boarding food-service management. Methods: The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients, using the SPSS Win program (version 12.0). Results: Regarding satisfaction with dormitory foodservice, the satisfaction scores for service and hygiene were 3.46 (out of 5 scales), whereas the score for menu quality was 3.26 points. In terms of satisfaction by meal, dinner showed the highest score, at 3.70 (out of 5 scales). The satisfaction scores for breakfast were significantly higher in girls (3.36) than boys (2.93). Regarding intake of meals provided, dinner showed the highest score, at 3.96 (out of 5 scales), whereas breakfast showed the lowest score, at 3.63 points. Intake of lunch and dinner was significantly higher in boys (4.12, 4.17, respectively) than girls (3.72, 3.76, respectively). Regarding the requirements of subjects for dormitory foodservice, 43.4% of subjects selected improvement of food taste and 36.6% of girls chose menu diversity. In terms of menu preferences for main dishes, the students preferred noodles (4.06) and one-dish cooked rice (3.92) to cooked rice (3.66). The subjects preferred beef rib soup (4.10) and Kimchi stew (3.99) in soups and stews. With regard to the menu preferences for side dishes, steamed foods showed the highest score, at 3.95 (out of 5 scales), whereas seasoned foods showed the lowest score, at 2.89 points. The students preferred beef, pork, and chicken to fish and vegetables. The students preferred dessert the most with fruit juices (4.52). Bread and rice cake were more favored by girls, showing significant differences between boys and girls (p ＜ 0.05, p ＜ 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: Development of a systematic nutrition education program that can encourage practice of proper eating habits is needed. In addition improvement of the quality of boarding school meals through the service of various menus is needed.

한국소비자의 쇠고기상품 광우병 검사 및 원산지 표시에 대한 지불의사금액추정

이 논문의 목적은 쇠고기상품 광우병 검사 및 원산지 표시에 대한 한국소비자들의 지불의사금액 추정에 있다. 소비자 지불의사금액 추정을 위해 본 연구에서는 선택실험법이 사용되었다. 특히, 소비자 특성별 쇠고기상품 표시제도에 대한 지불의사금액 차이를 확인하기 위하여 쇠고기 소비관련 위험인지도 및 소비자들의 인구통계학적 특징을 기준으로 소비자를 세분하여 분석이 이루어졌다. 한국소비자들은 광우병 검사표시제도에 강한 선호를 보이는 것으로 분석결과 나타났다. 또한, 위험에 민감한 소비자일수록 광우병 검사표시제도를 더 선호하는 것으로 나타났으며, 위험에 덜 민감한 소비자일수록 원산지표시제도를 선호하는 것으로 나타났다. 그리고 나이가 젊고 고학력일수록 광우병 검사표시 및 광우병청정국가를 상대적으로 더 선호하는 것으로 분석결과 나타났다.

European consumer preferences for beef with nutrition and health claims: A multi-country investigation using discrete choice experiments

The European Union (EU) nutrition labelling policy aims to facilitate consumers’ food choice, stimulate innovation and facilitate the circulation of foods bearing claims across countries. However, the beef industry has not fully taken advantage of utilizing nutrition and health claims based on the EU nutrition labelling policy to differentiate beef products in the market. This study investigates consumer preferences for nutrition and health claims on lean beef steak. Two choice experiments were conducted among 2400 beef consumers in four EU countries (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, United and United Kingdom). Multinomial logit and error component models were estimated. Our results generally suggest that consumer valuation of nutritional and health claims varies across countries. In Belgium, the Netherlands and France, nutrition and health claims on saturated fat yielded higher utilities than claims on protein and/or iron, while the opposite was found among consumers in the UK. The results imply that marketing opportunities related to nutrition and health claims on beef are promising, but that different nutritional marketing strategies are necessary within different countries.

Relative importance of cues underlying Spanish consumers’ beef choice and segmentation, and consumer liking of beef enriched with n-3 and CLA fatty acids

The choice experiments technique was used to estimate the relative importance of some of the main attributes of beef; origin (locally produced, other Spanish origin), animal diet (conventional, enriched with n-3, with CLA, or with n-3 plus CLA), amount of visible fat (slight, moderate), meat colour (bright red, pale red), and price (6.6, 5.7, 4.8 and 3.9 € per tray containing 0.3kg of beef loin) in three Spanish cities (Barcelona, Pamplona, Zaragoza) with 322 individuals. Consumer segments with similar preference profiles of beef choices were identified using the Latent Class model. Consumer liking of beef enriched with n-3 and/or CLA fatty acids was also evaluated by the same consumers. The most important cue driving the majority of consumers’ beef purchase decisions was the amount of visible fat (36%) followed by price (25%), then colour (19%) and origin (17%), and finally animal diet (4%) which was not important. Most consumers preferred beef with a slight content of visible fat, medium–low price, locally produced and bright red colour. Segmentation analysis revealed three consumer profiles: ‘health conscious consumers’ with preference for lean beef (consumers: older, women, retired, housewives, greater food expenditure and more concerned with health); ‘price-oriented consumers’ with preference for lowest priced beef (consumers: younger, students, higher education, lower beef intake and purchase at supermarket); and ‘quality-oriented consumers’ with preference for beef with moderate amount of visible fat (consumers: men, from Barcelona). Consumers were willing to pay a premium of 1.21, 1.52 and 2.04 € over 14 €/kg for CLA, n-3 and n-3 plus CLA enriched beef, respectively. ‘Health conscious consumers’ were more willing to pay and more likely to purchase enriched beef with beneficial fatty acids. The individual beef enrichment with n-3 or CLA improved consumer liking scores, while the combined enrichment with n-3 plus CLA offered no hedonic advantages over conventional beef.