title: Meat consumption: trends and quality matters.
abstract: This paper uses quality theory to identify opportunities for the meat sector that are consistent with trends in meat consumption. Meat consumption has increased and is likely to continue into the future. Growth is largely driven by white meats, with poultry in particular of increasing importance globally. The influence of factors such as income and price is likely decline over time so that other factors, such as quality, will become more important. Quality is complex and consumers' quality expectations may not align with experienced quality due to misconception of certain intrinsic cues. Establishing relevant and effective cues, based on extrinsic and credence attributes, could offer advantage on the marketplace. The use of extrinsic cues can help convey quality characteristics for eating quality, but also for more abstract attributes that reflect individual consumer concerns e.g. health/nutrition, and collective concerns, e.g. sustainability. However, attributes are not of equal value to all consumers. Thus consumer segmentation and production differentiation is needed.
authors: Teagasc Food Research Centre Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland. Electronic address: Maeve.Henchion@teagasc.ie.
authors: Maeve
authors: M
authors: Henchion
authors: Department of Food Business and Development, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: McCarthy
authors: Teagasc Food Research Centre Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland.
authors: Virginia C
authors: VC
authors: Resconi
authors: Teagasc Food Research Centre Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland.
authors: Declan
authors: D
authors: Troy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D004032:Diet / Q000639:trends; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D019649:Food Industry; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards; D011200:Poultry
keywords: Credence attributes; Meat consumption; Meat quality; Sustainability