Preliminary study on consumers’ and meat traders’ perceptions of beef quality and how the beef quality is affected by animal welfare practices

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the perceptions of rural meat consumers and traders on meat quality and how the welfare of slaughter cattle affects beef quality. The study focused on three stages: Prior to purchase, at point of purchase and at point of consumption. A total of 102 rural consumers and 31 meat traders were conveniently sampled and used in the study. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation (PCA) were conducted in order to identify the underlying structure of the items used for measuring evaluations of animal welfare issues, expected eating quality and determinants of purchasing decisions, while the CALIS procedure was used to analyze the structural relationships. With regards to consumers, estimated relationships showed significant association between the visual quality items and the perceived beef quality with regards to the meat traders; weak and negative relationships existed between visual quality indicators and perceived beef quality. This means that product quality can be accurately inferred from the consumers who are the purchasers and end users of the meat products. Significant negative realationships existed between the cattle rearing methods component and the items covered by the animal handling at abattoir component, meaning that the meat traders believe that cattle handling at the abattoir are at variance with the way the cattle are reared at the farm, and therefore this could have an effect on meat quality. Principal component analysis also showed that quality of beef and purchase motives followed a one-dimensional concept for both the consumers and meat, meaning that they perceived quality of beef is associated with price, packaging, place of slaughter and butcher reputation. It was conluded that consumers and meat traders have convergent perceptions on the animal welfare issues and meat qiality aspects of beef.

Perceptions of Rural Consumers on the Aspects of Meat Quality and Health Implications Associated With Meat Consumption

“…Kauffman and Marsh [39] defined marbling as the visible fat present in the interfascicular space of a muscle and it affects flavour, juiciness, and tenderness of meat and hence increases its palatability [40]. The fact that respondents showed a lack of knowledge in interpreting the importance of marbling in meat quality could have been a result of their rural background, and this was also observed in a study by Vimiso et al [19].…”

“…Poultry meat is known to be cheaper compared to other meat products [34]. In this study, price was viewed as the main factor affecting a purchasing decision due to the fact that the respondents were from a rural and poor background and that most purchases are determined by the amount of cash available [19]. The quality of the product is secondary, as observed by Ballantine et al [35].…”

“…If consumers have a negative perception of any meat product, their purchasing behaviour will be affected negatively [12]. Besides the price of the product, factors such as appearance, convenience, and perceived quality as well as safety [19,20], social, individual, economic, and cultural aspects influence decisions made in the market place [11]. Hence, consumers are leaning towards food products that benefit their well-being.…”

An outlook on livestock welfare conditions in African communities — A review

“…The latter can be viewed as some form of "lairag ing" procedure, which is an important practice after moving animals to assist with acclimatization; while also protecting their welfare, and preventing them from straying and getting lost [57]. As alluded to by Vimiso et al [58], cattle that are put through market channels are exposed to poor AW. In addition, confinement is likely to induce some level of discomfort to the animals [17,59]; which could be escalated in an unfamiliar environment.…”

Effects of animal class and genotype on beef muscle nanostructure, pHu, colour and tenderness

“…Consumers appreciate meat with a bright red colour and a medium amount of fat, referred to as marbling, because it enhances the flavour, juiciness and tenderness of meat. [1][2][3] However, factors that interplay 'from farm to fork' -such as sex, age, nutrition, rearing conditions, weight at slaughter and genetics of the cattle as well as environmental conditions -usually have an impact on the quality of the meat. 2,4,5 Other variables affected by these factors include the amount of external and intramuscular fat, the appearance of the meat and sensory properties (such as the aroma, flavour, texture, first impression of juiciness and off-flavours).…”