This study presents the assessment of beef quality determination based on the consumer preferences, established in the beef retailing shops. The aim was to establish correlation between the customers' preferences and quality attribute cues affecting their preferences. Systematic review approach was used to identify studies connected with beef quality determination, leading to secondary data. The primary data on consumer preferences was collected from 208 and 98 customers in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya cities in Tanzania. Quality attribute cues that impact customer preference were collected using a Likert scale technique and analyzed by using Kruskal-Wallis one way ANOVA by ranks, after checking the reliability by multiple regression model. Tenderness, price, juiciness, breed's information and fat content were observed to be the five topmost overall ranked quality cues that impact customers' preferences. With respect to relative ranking, the highest relatively ranked beef quality cues in search, experience and credence attributes were price, tenderness and breed's information. Based on primary data, the assessed quality cues were positively accepted as the factors that influence consumers' preferences on butcher's location (73.5% and 72.6%), personal relation with sellers (69.4% and 69.7%), beef color (70.4% and 70.2%) and fat content (69.4% and 69.2%) in Mbeya and Dar es Salaam, respectively, and noted to be very comparable between the cities. With exception of the photo of choice standard graded beef, the responses of customers in Mbeya were relatively higher than in Dar es Salaam, with type of cut and beef cleanliness being the two highest pointed quality cues.

This study presents the assessment of beef transportation infrastructure from slaughtering facilities in Tanzanian cities to the retail premises. The quality of beef consumed in many countries is questionable due to poor infrastructural development which may results into contamination and bacteriological infection. This study was carried out in Mbeya and Dar es Salaam where data was collected at the dispatch areas of 3 and 6 slaughtering facilities, respectively. At each slaughter facility, 10 vehicles selected randomly, were assessed. The assessment of beef distribution infrastructure was conducted based on 18 quality impacting factors established from the actual observation and literature review and conceptualized carcass distribution model. With exception to water tightness, painting and engine status during carcass loading, all the assessed beef quality impacting parameters were below 50%, indicating that beef distribution in the surveyed facilities were below the specification of food quality. Generally, the assessment of beef transporting facilities in connection to the first hypothesis of this study, indicted very weak compliance with the requirements, signifying that the vehicles are not acceptable for carcass transportation.

This study explains how infrastructure and beef processing practices in beef retailing premises (BRPs) are useful for beef purchasing decision. In this respect, features and beef retailing practices were assessed against the questionability of beef that is retailed in least developing countries (LDCs). This assessment was carried out by testing the null hypothesis that hypothesizes that BRPs in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya cities do not comply with the FAO technical requirements. The retailed beef in many BRPs is compromised with the status of the infrastructural development, the situation that may result in the questionability of the consumed beef. The Likert based information regarding 22 beef quality impacting factors (BQIF) from BRPs in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya, respectively, was analyzed with respect to the gaps identified and beef retailing conceptual model. This study is important as it provides general picture in connection to the status of the assessed BQIF in BRPs for the cities in the least developing countries (LDCs). In this regard, the study has shown that the compliance of BRPs in the LDCs' cities is too weak to meet the infrastructural technical requirements due to existence of more stringent provisions in the developed specifications. The study finally identified the local infrastructural beef quality determinants in LDCs' BRPs as the gap to be bridged by other studies.

A framework for determining the quality of beef was developed based on the assessment of Beef Supply Chain (BSC) between the slaughter and retail points. In this respect, slaughtering, distribution, retailing and consumer preferences models were developed for assessing the beef processing designed features (BPDFs) across the BSC specifically in Slaughtering Facilities (SFs), Beef Distributing Facilities (BDFs), and Beef Retailing Premises (BRPs) in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya cities. The organized ideas, rules and beliefs to a set known as a framework for determining the quality of beef was one of the outcomes of this study. This study suggests that the claim that beef-quality is a complex phenomenon and cannot be objectively determined is not always correct. Applicability of the designed framework is useful as it avoids mistakes and misunderstanding resulting from the desire to measure the quality of object. The study proposed the development of other frameworks for beef quality determination across other processing units (breeding, grazing, cattle transportation and post retailing activities for its preparation at household levels).