Game Meat Consumption—Conscious Choice or Just a Game?

Self Cite

Consumer interest in game meat has increased in recent years. Consumers appreciate its nutritional value but still have many concerns. Based on data from a quantitative study conducted in the group of 450 purposively selected Polish respondents declaring to consume the game meat, consumers were segmented concerning the perception of health risks associated with its consumption. Three separate clusters were identified using hierarchical cluster analysis: Indifferent (42%), Fearful (30%), and Selective (28%). The clusters differed significantly in the perception of the role of game in their lives and taking actions to mitigate the health risks associated with its consumption. In addition, their socioeconomic profiles were significantly different. The Indifferent segment—significantly more often than the other segments—believes that game has a positive impact on health, and the way to counteract the health risks is to not eat raw meat. The Selective segment attaches great importance to the choice of consumption place as a warranty of access to safe meat. The Fearful segment is willing to pay more for good quality meat and search for information. The results proved that the game consumers are not a homogenous group. Recognizing the differences can indicate a path for the traders to efficiently meet the consumers’ expectations and needs.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of the Health Threats Related to the Consumption of Wild Animal Meat—Is Eating Game Risky?

Niewiadomska

Kosicka-Gębska

Gębski

et al. 2021

Self Cite

“…Eating game meat is common worldwide and, apart from food security issues linked with specific territories where hunting is a relevant and resilient practice [1,2], is increasing in Europe and other industrialized regions [3,4]. This type of meat is in line with modern consumers' demand for its unique characteristics, not only from a nutritional and sensory point of view, but also in relation to sustainability, the avoidance of chemicals, and animal welfare [5][6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Hunted Wild Boar Carcass Hygiene: Roles of Different Factors Involved in the Harvest Phase

Ranucci

Onofri

Cambiotti³

et al. 2021

Game meat production strongly differs from that of other meats, as peculiar factors present in the field and in the steps prior to transfer to a game-handling establishment can influence the hygiene of the carcasses and, therefore, of the meat. The effects of such factors were considered in hunted wild boars based on the main hygienic criteria adopted in meat processing. Environmental, animal, and hunting conditions were studied during two selective hunting seasons in Central Italy. A total of 120 hunted wild boar carcasses were sampled after the skinning process and analyzed for aerobic colony count, Enterobacteriaceae count, and Salmonella spp. isolation. The calculated mean values for aerobic colony and Enterobacteriaceae counts were 3.66 and 2.05 CFU/cm2, respectively, in line with the limits set for the meat of other ungulates by EU legislation. Salmonella spp. showed a prevalence of 2.5% (IC 95%: 1.72–3.27%). Statistical analysis of the data performed with the AIC criterion showed that the main parameter to consider for improving the hygienic level of carcasses is to reduce the time in the refrigerator before skinning, followed by hunting on cold days (<10 °C) without rain, hunting animals <60 kg, and reducing the time between shooting and evisceration.

“…However, while consumer research is widely used as a tool to explore the market weaknesses and strengths of different food categories, the producers’ side is far less studied [ 3 ]. This is especially true in the case of the newly emerging hunted wild game meat (HWGM) supply chain [ 4 , 5 ], where the growing body of literature is mainly focused on consumers [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the one hand, a growing body of literature revealed the existence of a niche market characterized by a higher willingness to pay for HWGM. These are consumers with positive attitudes towards hunting, with the highest degree of knowledge about HWGM production methods and the greater familiarity towards the product [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. On the other hand, there are segments of consumers with negative attitudes and perception towards HWGM, often directly stemming from a certain skepticism towards the figure of the hunter, who is perceived as a person that does not respect hunting regulations, nor the environment by the average consumer [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling Individual Phases in the Hunted vs. Farmed Meat Supply Chain: Exploring Hunters’ Perceptions in Italy

Marescotti

Demartini

Gibbert

et al. 2021

The growing body of literature concerning the hunted wild game meat (HWGM) supply chain is mainly focused on the final consumer, while little is known about upstream production processes. Even though the hunter plays a central role here, it is not well understood how hunters themselves perceive their role in the various phases of the production process. The present study explores Italian hunters’ perception of the HWGM supply chain and compares it to their perception towards the conventional farmed meat supply chain. We distinguish several phases of this production process and find that the final phase related to on-site game dressing is considered problematic, perhaps because hunters perceive themselves as less skilled than professional butchers. The results, in fact, show that hunters prefer hunted products over farmed meat, but that they consider hunted wild boar meat less safe compared to farmed pork. Findings from this study provide a rare glimpse from the inside of the supply chain and reveals the needs for a broad risk assessment analysis on the Italian game meat supply chain. Considering the development of the Italian emerging market of the HWGM, our results also highlight the relevance of training activities on hunters in order to increase the safety and quality of the final product.