Perceptions and attitudes towards goat meat and milk consumption in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

The increasing demand by the teeming human population on animal agriculture for their daily animal protein intake requires every livestock, including goat products, to be on the menu list. Dismally, consumer acceptance and consumption of any product hugely rest on their behavioural attitudes. This study aimed to assess consumer perception of goat milk and meat in some areas of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Structured questionnaires were used to gather information on socio-demographic and economic characteristics and perceptions about goat meat and milk consumption. Also, information about consumer attitudes, their familiarity towards goat products and their awareness of the nutritional qualities of the animal’s product were gathered. Data from the 386 consumers selected randomly in Amathole and Buffalo city municipalities were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. Consumption of animal products was affirmed by 95.5% of the respondents. Respondents’ knowledge of goat milk breeds and their willingness to consume the product were 28.6% and 41.7%, respectively. Apart from the goaty odour (29.1%), about 55.8% of the respondents had no specific reason for not consuming goat milk. Many respondents (68.3%) consumed goat meat and had no specific reason for this high consumption pattern other than seeing it as just any other meat (42.2%). Most respondents did not know the specific nutritional benefits of consuming goat milk (42.7%) and meat (70.4%). There was a significant and positive association (P<0.05) between the age of respondents, whether they knew about goat milk, consumption of goat milk and the nutritional benefits. There was a significant association (P<0.05) between the educational level of the respondents and goat milk knowledge and their willingness to consume goat milk. The study findings indicate that a larger proportion of the respondents consumed goat meat and milk. However, there is potential for increasing the percentage of consumers for these products through education about their health benefits. Key words: Attitude, Behaviour, Goat products, Perception, Health benefit, Intake