=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2761/HAICTA_2020_paper7
|storemode=property
|title=A Review of Consumer Preferences for Lamb and Beef Products
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2761/HAICTA_2020_paper7.pdf
|volume=Vol-2761
|authors=Anestis Tsitsos,Vangelis Economou,Georgios Arsenos,Theodoros Kalitsis,Alexandros Theodoridis
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/haicta/TsitsosEAKT20
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==A Review of Consumer Preferences for Lamb and Beef Products==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2761/HAICTA_2020_paper7.pdf
A Review of Consumer Preferences for Lamb and Beef
Products
Anestis Tsitsos1, Vangelis Economou2, Georgios Arsenos3, Theodoros Kalitsis4,
Alexandros Theodoridis5
1
Laboratory of Hygiene of Food of Animal Origin – Veterinary Public Health, School of
Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece;
e-mail: tsitanes@vet.auth.gr
2
Laboratory of Hygiene of Food of Animal Origin – Veterinary Public Health, School of
Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece;
e-mail: boikonom@vet.auth.gr
3
Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health
Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; e-mail: arsenosg@vet.auth.gr
4
Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health
Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; e-mail: tgkallitsis@vet.auth.gr
5
Laboratory of Animal Production Economics, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of
Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; e-mail: alextheod@vet.auth.gr
Abstract. Consumer preferences towards lamb and beef meat depend on several
intrinsic and extrinsic factors which include psychological, sensorial and
marketing parameters, interacting with each other and influencing the
purchasing decisions and willingness to pay. Beef and lamb meat is widely
consumed globally. However, the consumers profile is too complicated to
elaborate. Greeks largely include lamb and beef meat in their diet. Among the
main factors affecting consumer preferences are visual appearance, flavour,
price, quality labelling, origin, cuts and type of meat. Moreover, social and
financial factors, customs and religious traditions, also play an important role in
beef and lamb demand. In addition, among consumers’ top priorities are the
sensorial characteristics and the country of origin of meat. This study aims to
define the factors that influence consumer’s behaviour concerning lamb and beef
meat, focusing on the meat cuts of lamb and beef that are most desirable in
Greece.
Keywords: Consumer; preferences; lamb; lamb meat; beef; Greece.
1 Introduction
Consumers’ preference, behaviour and perception of meat products is complicated
(Pethick et al., 2011). Food quality is characterized by its degree of adaptation to the
consumers’ requirements which may be related to the nutritional value, the
organoleptic characteristics of the product and consumers’ health safety (Ambrosiadis,
2005). Opinion formation is based on conscious or subconscious factors that can be
28
endogenous and exogenous. Endogenous factors are characteristics of the product that
cannot be changed unless the nature of the product changes, such as organoleptic
characteristics. These factors are subjective and can therefore mislead the consumer
(Grunert et al., 2004). On the contrary, exogenous factors, such as the origin and price
of the product, are not a property of food (Grunert et al., 2011). In addition, several
other social, cultural, economic, religious, and moral factors may vary widely among
consumers regarding food consumption (Font-i-Furnols et al., 2014). Especially for
beef and lamb meat, foodborne crises, such as spongiform encephalopathy, can
significantly alter consumer choices (Rezitis et al., 2011). Therefore, it is vital for the
market to interpret consumer behaviour towards beef and lamb meat in order to adapt
immediately to changes. The purpose of this review is to identify the factors affecting
Greek and global consumer preferences concerning beef and lamb meat.
2 Factors influencing consumer behaviour and choices
Various factors affect consumer choices and attitudes. According to Font-i-Furnols
et al. (2014), these factors are divided into 3 major categories: psychological (factors
related to the individual), organoleptic (factors related to the product) and marketing
(socio-environmental related factor). These factors are interrelated and can affect
people’s cognitive and emotional intelligence (Figure 1).
Psychological factors such as beliefs, attitudes, motivations, perceptions, lifestyle-
values, as well as social and cultural factors, shape consumers' personalities and
influence their behaviour. Public has developed a negative opinion towards meat
products due to factors related to animal welfare, slaughter conditions (Troy et al.,
2010), environmental issues (Povey et al., 2001), religion, ideology and ethics
(Berndsen et al., 2005). Moreover, the hygiene of meat and the potential adverse
dietary effects of meat consumption on human health, are considered to be important
reasons for consumers (Latvala et al., 2012; Garnier et al., 2003). However, these
negative attitudes appear to have minor impact on meat market (Grunert, 2006), as
consumers prefer, instead of reducing meat consumption to use meat as an ingredient.
The most important organoleptic factors that affect consumers’ behaviour are
appearance, colour, taste, aroma, juiciness and tenderness of the meat. These factors
are affected by both endogenous and exogenous factors, such as the type and breed of
animal, its nutrition and age, the animal’s welfare conditions during slaughter,
maintenance and maturation of the meat (Pethick et al., 2005). Especially, appearance
and taste are among the most important factors influencing meat consumers' choices
(Font-i-Furnols et al., 2014). Concerning fat, most consumers prefer lean meat (Ngapo
et al., 2006). Still, tenderness, juiciness, taste and aroma are significantly related to
Consumers’ purchase behaviour (Banović et al., 2009). These characteristics mainly
depend on the intramuscular fat content of the product and the type of fat (Pannier et
al., 2014). However, there are substantial differences among and within countries, e.g.
in Mediterranean countries consumers prefer light sheep meat colours, as they usually
consume carcasses of young animals (Bernué et al., 2012).
Advertising, product promotions and proper quality labelling constitute the most
influential ways to reach consumers, affecting their desires and perceptions. Price is
29
another important exogenous factor which is directly related to the socio-demographic
characteristics of a population (Reicks et al., 2011), since low-income consumers
prefer low quality cuts (Bello Acebrón et al., 2000; Font-i-Furnols et al., 2014).
Regarding the content of meat product labels, the features required by the consumers
to make informed purchasing decisions include the brand/product name (address line),
expiration date, quantity statements and meat origin (Verbeke et al., 2006). According
to Chambers et al. (2007), certified and domestic meat products are top consumers’
choices. Finally, consumers prefer organic products despite their high price (Kim et
al., 2008), since they are considered to be healthier and of high-quality and have a
better environmental footprint (Verbeke et al., 2010).
Organoleptic
parameters
•Appearance
•Colour
•Taste
•Aroma
Psychological •Juiciness
factors Marketing
•Tenderness •Price
•Beliefs
•Attitudes •Quality labeling
•Expectations •Advertisements
•Motivation •Campaigns
•Perceptions •Telemarketing
Consumer •Online market
•Values behaviour
•Social and cultural
factors
Fig. 1. Factors influencing consumer behaviour and choices (Font-i-Furnols et al., 2014).
3 World beef and lamb consumption
Beef and lamb meat have always been high in consumer preferences worldwide.
Many differences occur in consumer preferences among countries regarding high-
quality beef and lamb meat. According to Henchion et al. (2017), the three most
important factors that influence consumer choices concerning beef are price, product
labelling and fat content, followed by taste, freshness and tenderness. In Italy, the most
important factors include price, animals’ welfare and breed, product’s labelling and
type of production (e.g. organic). The factors that Italian consumers rank as the less
important in influencing their preferences are organoleptic characteristics of meat
products other than taste (tenderness, aroma, colour), their origin, their nutritional
characteristics and the existence of an identification and traceability system (Merlino
et al., 2018). German consumers show a significant preference for products with
quality labelling of Black Angus meat for which they are willing to pay a higher price
30
(Meyerding, et al., 2018). Almi et al. (2013) report that in Belgium and Norway there
is a clear preference for beef tenderloin; Norwegians are not willing to buy it because
of its high price, unlike the people in Belgium, where its price is lower, indicating the
impact that price and marketing in general may have on consumer choices. In contrast
to Belgians’ attitude, Norwegians’ purchase behaviour is based mainly on products’
organoleptic preferences and less on products’ nutritional value or safety. In general,
European consumers consider beef consumption beneficial to their health, thus
positively affecting the purchase of beef, with a clear preference towards lean (Ngapo
et al., 2006), local (Realini et al., 2013) and less technologically processed beef meat
(Verbeke et al., 2010).
Many differences among European countries are also observed regarding lamb meat
preferences. The most significant difference is related to the preference of
Mediterranean consumers for carcasses of young lambs (animals are slaughtered
during weaning period), and the preference of northern Europeans for heavy carcasses
of grass-fed animals. Consumers in France, UK and Iceland prefer French or Icelandic
sheep breeds, which produce carcasses over 15 kg, while Spain and Italy prefer to
consume autochthonous sheep breeds, with a carcass of less than 10 kg (Sañudo et al.,
2006). The factors mainly influencing European consumers’ choices are the origin and
type (lamb or mutton) of meat, and animal’s breeding system (Furnols et al., 2011).
The less important factors include price (Bernabéu et al., 2005), specific cuts,
nutritional value, labelling and traceability (Bernuéus et al., 2003).
4 Beef and lamb consumption in Greece
In Greece, the average annual meat consumption is lower than the European
average, mainly due to climatic and environmental factors, as well as the dominance
of the Mediterranean diet on Greek cuisine. Meat consumption in Greece increased
substantially during the 1970s and 1980s, stabilizing from the 1990s onwards.
According to the most recent available data published in FAO database, in 2013 the
annual per capita consumption in Greece was 16.1Kg of bovine meat and 12.47 Kg of
lamb/mutton and kid/goat meat. Greek consumers prefer to buy their meat from local
butcher shop or supermarkets (Krystallis et al., 2006). The relevant literature on meat
consumption in Greece is limited and no information regarding preferred cuts of beef
and sheep meat are available.
According to the studies available, the key factor in purchasing behaviour in Greek
beef meat market is taste. Since taste can only be assessed after purchasing, consumers
rely on a variety of characteristics that can be assessed during purchase, such as
appearance, colour and fat content (Krystallis et al., 2006). Social factors are also
affecting Greek consumers’ behaviour, such as the age of the consumers and their
educational level: older people and people with lower educational level appear to
choose beef based only on product labelling, in contrast to younger and more educated
consumers who further explore nutritional value and microbial safety. The bovine
spongiform encephalopathy crisis in the global beef industry severely affected
consumers’ attitude towards beef meat (Krystallis & Arvanitoyannis, 2006).
According to Morrison et al. (2003), exogenous factors can potentially affect the Greek
31
market. However, the prices of beef have been relatively stable; therefore, its purchase
is mainly influenced by consumers’ income, with older people being more affected
(Krystallis & Arvanitoyannis, 2006). Economic crisis in Greece and the volatile
economic environment in general had an impact on the purchasing behaviour of
consumers in Greece who moved to low price meat cuts and products.
Table 1. Meat preferences studies among Greek consumers.
Sample Meat
Reference Country Method Factors
size type
Greece,
Spain, Smell,
Organoleptic
Italy, aroma,
Sañudo et al. evaluation at Lamb
France, 773 tenderness,
(2006) home, meat
United juiciness,
questionnaire
Kingdom, flavour
Iceland
Organic
Questionnaire, Beef,
Krystallis et 268 product,
Greece personal Lamb
al. (2006) households price,
interview meat
availability
Safety,
nutritional
Krystallis & Questionnaire, Beef,
268 value,
Arvanitoyannis Greece personal Lamb
households labelling,
(2006) interview meat
taste,
appearance
Beef, Price,
Morrison et al.
Greece Review Lamb income,
(2003)
meat taste
Greeks prefer to eat lamb over mutton, as it is considered to be of better quality due
to its lighter coloration (Bernabeu et al., 2005). Lambs are usually slaughtered at 4-8
weeks old, when the carcass weight varies between 6-10 kg (Christodoulou et al.,
2007). However, in specific regions of the country (Epirus, Sterea Ellada) a significant
portion of citizens in the Greek countryside consume heavier sheep carcasses (over 13
kg) (Skapetas et al., 2006). Katsaounis et al. (1996) argue that the heaviest sheep
carcass became more acceptable to Greek consumers when the latter were aware about
its high nutritional value. Both lamb and mutton consumption presents seasonal
demand, with Easter being the period of the highest demand due to religious purposes.
Sañudo et al. (2006) examined consumer preferences in six European countries. After
organoleptic examination of meat of different breeds at different ages of slaughter,
32
they concluded that taste (juiciness, tenderness, and aroma) and appearance (colour,
fat content) play the most important role in beef and lamb meat selections. These
factors are mainly influenced by animal’s breed, age and diet. Most Greek consumers
preferred to consume autochthonous sheep breeds with a slaughter age of up to 2.5
months. Similarly to beef, there are no literature sources describing the preferred sheep
meat cuts. Georgakis et al. (2002) report that the sheep and goat carcasses are usually
cut shortly before they are sold in the butcher's shop and their cuts follow those of
cattle.
5 Conclusions
Consumer behaviour regarding beef and lamb meat is difficult to assess accurately,
due to the large variation it presents both among and within countries. There are several
differences among European countries, concerning the preferred endogenous factors
of beef and lamb meat. The puzzle becomes more complicated if one takes into account
the various social, economic and cultural factors that prevail in each country and the
current events, which are constantly changing the market and demand. In addition,
exogenous factors, such as the price of the product, seem to affect consumer behaviour
both within countries and among them. Globally, two large consumer groups are
recognized: the consumers that are willing to pay more for a better-quality food and
the consumers that look for the cheapest food, regardless of quality. However, some
similarities are observed among countries. The vast majority of consumers prefer
domestic beef and sheep food. Similarly, consumers prefer to buy fresh meat, relying
mostly on its bright red colour. In any case, it is necessary for the beef and lamb meat
market to continuously assess the factors affecting consumer choices in order to adapt
to any contemporary changes.
Acknowledgments. This research has been co-financed by the European Regional
Development Fund of the European Union and Greek national funds through the
Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the
call RESEARCH – CREATE – INNOVATE (project code: T1EDK-05479).
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