Report Reveals Meat-Purchasing Patterns

October 1, 2008

2 Min Read
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High energy costs, the credit crunch, a weak housing market and our recessionary climate are changing consumer dining patterns, notably including a shift toward more at-home meals and an increased concern over the cost of meat. These findings were presented in “The Power of Meat—An In-Depth Look at Meat Through the Shoppers’ Eyes,” a report that details the findings of a national online poll of 1,147 of consumers conducted in Nov. 2007 and released at the 2008 Annual Meat Conference. Detailed findings of the report include:

  • 90.5% of supermarket shoppers buy their meat there as well;

  • Nearly 79% of shoppers have access to a full-service meat counter at supermarkets, supercenters and club stores, but 70% select all meat purchases from the self-service area;

  • 30% of shoppers would increase meat-case purchases even more if packaging were leak-proof;

  • The average family has five dinners at home per week, with an average of 4.2 of these meals including a meat item—80% eat chicken and beef at least once a week, and more than 34% eat chicken and beef at least three times a week;

  • Consumers ranked price per pound as the most important factor when selecting meat, followed by, in order of decreasing importance: product appearance, package size and total package price, nutritional content, knowledge of how to prepare, and preparation time required;

  • More than one in five consumers purchase natural and organic meat, with more than 80% saying organic meat and poultry is more expensive either by a lot (32.8%) or a little (50.8%), and 73% of occasional organic shoppers would purchase more if prices were lower, up from 63% in 2007.

Further, the 2007 National Meat Case study found case-ready product share increased in 2007 to 64% of fresh meat packages, with vacuum and modified-atmosphere packaging increasing 3 and 4 percentage points, respectively.

 Click here to purchase the report.Related Article:Food Product Design: Heat-and-Eat Meat 

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