Consumer value conflicts surrounding ethical food purchase decisions: a focus on animal welfare

Ethical attitudes in relation to meat purchases were studied among urban and rural consumers in Scotland. All subjects perceived at least some ethical issues in relation to animal production systems, in particular, systems keeping animals in close confinement. Welfare‐friendly production systems were viewed as adding value to a food, but this value was not necessarily realizable to producers if purchases occurred only when foods were on special offer. Statements made by individuals were often contradictory, revealing ambivalence, unresolved value conflicts and a general lack of involvement in the nature of meat production. A number of barriers to the establishment of stable attitudes and behaviours in relation to the ethical treatment of food animals were also identified. A key finding of the study is that individuals can hold two views on animal welfare. On the one hand, they may think as citizens influencing societal standards, and on the other, as consumers at the point of purchase. As citizens, they support the notion of animals being entitled to a good life; as meat consumers, they avoid the cognitive connection with the live animal. This paper explores both the citizen–consumer relationship and purchase strategies used by consumers to resolve value conflicts. Lessons for public and commercial policy are highlighted in the context of the Curry Report (2002) which advocates more effective market segmentation where markets are finely attuned to their customers, with the development of a number of assurance schemes discussed in the article.     

榆林市某羊场舍饲陕北白绒山羊羔羊死亡原因研究

本文旨在研究榆林市某羊场舍饲陕北白绒山羊羔羊的死亡情况及死亡原因,为治疗和预防羊场疾病提供理论依据。本文主要采用实地考察和访谈方式,了解羊场的饲喂、管理、配种以及产羔情况,并对羊场的消毒防疫、发病症状、病理变化和羔羊死亡数量做了详细记录。经统计分析得出羔羊死亡主要原因:繁殖障碍,哺乳失常,管理不当,肺炎和痢疾等。其中肺炎占死亡总数的13.9%,痢疾占死亡总数的68.7%,繁殖障碍死亡占死亡总数的5.2%;哺乳不当弱胎饥饿占死亡总数的7.8%;管理不善及其他原因占死亡总数的3.5%。主要防治措施:以预防为主,治疗为辅,标本兼治,加强饲养管理,全群注射三联四防苗,使羔羊死亡情况得以控制。     

The effect of ad appeals and message framing on consumer responses to plant-based menu items

While the recent surge of meat-like items on restaurant menus has received considerable attention, little is known how to encourage consumers to choose such novel dishes. To address this gap, we investigate the role of various communication strategies in making plant-based menu items more attractive. The results from Study 1 suggest that using a social appeal in the ad increases consumers’ preference for plant-based menu items via anticipated pleasure, but a health appeal does not. The results from Study 2 demonstrate that information on social costs induces feelings of ambivalence toward meat eating, thus making plant-based menu items more desirable. However, information on health risks of meat consumption does not have such an effect. Practical implications for promoting plant-based menu items are discussed.     

肉制品中亚硝酸盐含量检测与安全性分析

通过对上海超市销售的11种熟食肉制品中亚硝酸盐的含量分析,探讨了市售常见肉制品中亚硝酸盐的安全性问题,以此对合理健康饮食提出参考性建议。     

肉类食品安全认知和选择行为

目前,消费者对肉类食品安全状况表示担忧,消费者对兽药残留、饲料添加剂、食品添加剂的不舍理使用,以及病畜肉问题关注程度较高。对风险程度较高的微生物污染关注程度较低。在购买肉类食品过程中。颜色、气昧等易于直接识别的特征是消费者用于判断肉类食品质量常用的质量信号,对价格、食品标簦所提供的质量信息的信任程度不高。政府应加强食品安全信息披露体系建设,为肉类食品生产者的安全生产行为提供激励。     

At‐home meat consumption in China: an empirical study*

The remarkable economic changes occurring within China since 1978 have resulted in a striking alteration in food consumption patterns, and one marked change is the increasing consumption of meat. Given China’s large population, a small percentage change in per capita meat consumption could lead to a dramatic impact on the production and trade of agricultural products. Such changes have major implications for policy makers and food marketers. This paper concentrates on meat consumption patterns in the home in China. A censored linear approximate almost ideal demand system model was employed in the study, and major economic parameters were estimated for different meat items. Data used in this study were collected from two separate consumer surveys – one urban and one rural in 2005.     

The Impact of Sustainability Aspects in the Meat Sector: A Cluster Analysis Based on Consumer Attitudes and Store Format Choice

Several consumer studies have shown considerable market potential for sustainable meat products, however, their markets shares are still marginal. In Germany, the sustainable aspects “organic,” “local origin,” and “animal welfare” are of special interest. To obtain a precise overview of potential target groups for these meat categories and their choice of store format, 620 German consumers were surveyed on their attitudes toward sustainable meat production and their shopping behavior. First, target groups based on consumers’ attitudes were identified by cluster analysis, taking into account possible overlaps. Consumers were also clustered by their store format choice and their preferred type of meat packaging. A cross tabulation of the results then provided insights into which store format and type of meat packaging is preferred by the target groups for sustainable meat products. Due to overlaps found in the target groups, the existence of important subgroups was shown. Amongst the target groups, only a slight preference for unpackaged meat products was found. Basically, the offer of sustainable meat products appears of interest for all store formats, with particular emphasis on supermarkets. The results of this study can support producers and retailers developing new and tailored marketing strategies for sustainable meat products.     

Canadian Consumer Willingness to Pay for Omega-3 Meat

This study analyzes Canadian consumer willingness to pay for omega-3 enhanced beef, pork, and chicken. Using a nationwide survey conducted by ACNielsen in 2006 and choice modeling framework, results indicate that smaller household, households with high incomes, and households that have previously purchased an omega-3 product are willing to pay a premium for omega-3 beef, pork and chicken. The results also suggest that consumers that have previously purchased an omega-3 product are willing to pay a higher premium for the respective omega-3 meats compared to households that have never purchased an omega-3 product. Also, premiums are highest for omega-3 beef, followed by omega-3 pork, and last, omega-3 chicken.     

Effects of an animal disease shock on meat markets and producer income

This paper simulates pig producer and slaughterhouse income losses due to a classical swine fever outbreak in Finland. The analysis explicitly takes into account that an outbreak of a highly contagious animal disease can shrink export demand for pig meat. After having observed the disease and its impact on pig meat price, producers can optimize animal stocks thought insemination decisions, which affects the number of animals in a dynamic manner. The income losses of pig industry were estimated to be less than €30 million. The losses were mainly due to price movements caused by an export demand shock. The results suggest that if the outbreak causes distortions in meat trade, the disease can cause substantial losses to the industry even if it has directly a small impact on the number of animals on farms. We also found that the optimization could reduce disease losses significantly, even more than 50%.