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Consumer liking and willingness to pay for high welfare animal-based products
Abstract
Consumers currently tend to rely more and more on extrinsic cues and credence characteristics, including process characteristics (e.g. the way animals are raised), to form their expectations about animal-based food products. This review shows that if expectations are negatively disconfirmed, the hedonic ratings and consumer willingness to pay move towards the expectations induced by information on animal welfare according to the sensitivity of different groups of consumers. The combination of reliable animal welfare monitoring and effective labelling of animal-based products may then help meeting the increasing demand for animal welfare-friendly products while sustaining the welfare of the animals.
... Indeed, sustainability is valued by many consumers and segmentation in marketing addresses ethical standards in many different product categories (Trudel & Cotte, 2008). In addition, sustainability cannot only be positively valued in itself, but a plethora of research suggests that consumers also associate sustainability attributes with good taste (Grunert, Bredahl, & Brunsø, 2004;Napolitano, Caporale, Carlucci, & Monteleone, 2007;Napolitano, Girolami, & Braghieri, 2010;Thorslund, Sandøe, Aaslyng, & Lassen, 2016). In line with this reasoning, researchers have found that sustainability attributes have the potential to positively influence taste expectations and purchase intentions of food products (Napolitano et al., 2007;O'Rourke & Ringer, 2016;Silva, Bioto, Efraim, & Queiroz, 2017). ...
... Prior research is inconclusive as to whether this strategy might succeed. Some studies indicate that sustainability attributes might indeed be used for a positive differentiation of novel products, because first, many consumers value sustainability in products (Trudel & Cotte, 2008) and second, they may use sustainability as a cue for better taste (Grunert et al., 2004;Napolitano et al., 2007;Napolitano et al., 2010;Thorslund et al., 2016). ...
... The assumed anticipation of a better taste of sustainable meat products is mainly based on the idea that consumers expect that highquality meat is produced when producers support the well-being of humans, animals, and nature. Accordingly, consumers view animal welfare as a cue for higher quality in food and a means to achieve a better taste (Thorslund et al., 2016), and they have been found to expect higher quality and are willing to pay more for meat products with increased animal welfare standards (Grunert et al., 2004;Napolitano et al., 2007Napolitano et al., , 2010. Moreover, information about sustainability might generate positive feelings in consumers which reinforce positive taste experiences beyond inferred quality expectations. ...
In response to a growing consumer trend towards meat reduction and more plant-based diets, the food industry develops meat-reduced food innovations, such as blended products which replace part of their meat with plant-based ingredients. These products are usually promoted as being more sustainable than existing products. However, it is not clear whether sustainability attributes are used by consumers to positively or negatively differentiate these novel products from existing ones. We investigated these two possibilities in two studies. In Study 1, we tested in an online survey whether positive sustainability attributes of novel food products generally affect purchase intentions in a positive or negative way, mediated by taste expectations. In Study 2, we investigated in a field study in a restaurant the choice of a novel blended meat product versus a classic product. In particular, we tested whether the blended meat product is more likely to share positive attributes with a classic alternative than negative attributes and might therefore lack the power of positive differentiation. The results of Study 1 show a positive differentiation by sustainability when taste attributes are equal compared with a classic product. However, Study 2 demonstrates that the mechanisms of a negative differentiation might attenuate these positive effects, because positive hedonic attributes of the novel blended-meat product more likely apply also to the classic product than the negative attributes.
... Fairly and effectively labelling products produced under high animal welfare standards increases product differentiation for animal welfare, which can increase consumer WTP for these products and therefore increases animal welfare. This, in turn, allows more products to carry an animal welfare label, which leads to a virtuous cycle ( Figure 1) for increasing animal welfare (Napolitano et al., 2010). In practice, however, differentiated supply of meat products mainly cater to the consumer groups that are not interested in animal welfare or very interested in animal welfare, but not to consumers taking a middle position. ...
... Virtuous cycle improving animal welfare because of labelling and product differentiation (Napolitano et al., 2010) Product-level WTP studies can be helpful in practical settings, such as to optimally price products with an animal welfare label. It also draws on choices that consumers are likely to make in a realworld setting, namely choosing between two product alternatives. ...
Animal welfare is a topic of increasing public attention but is typically not given any
consideration in economic models. Because governments are increasingly intervening in the agricultural sector for environmental reasons and because animal welfare may be at odds with environmental sustainability, it becomes crucial to economically value animal welfare to avoid alleviating one source of market failure by aggravating the other. This literature review aims to answer the question "How can animal welfare be included in economic analysis?". It does so by considering four main ways to assign value to farmed animal welfare: (1) from the perspective of the producer, (2) from that of the consumer, (3) as a public good, and (4) from the perspective of animals themselves. The review finds that most literature on the topic assigns value to animal
welfare from an anthropocentric point of view: the value of animal welfare derives from the use or non-use value that animal welfare brings to humans. Novel approaches acknowledge that animals themselves can experience pain and pleasure (i.e. utility). These latter approaches value animal welfare directly by, for example, extending the concepts of a social welfare function or Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) to include non-human animals.
... This is not surprising as most of the participants were aware of the animal husbandry label and were thus probably also familiar with the basic meaning of the four label levels (i.e. level 1 providing the lowest and level 4 the highest animal welfare) prior to the study. This is in line with existing studies demonstrating that in general many consumers are open to animal welfare products and would be willing to pay more for them [4,[77][78][79]. However, adequate information provision is discussed as an influencing factor amongst others in this context [18,20,23,77,78]. ...
... This is in line with existing studies demonstrating that in general many consumers are open to animal welfare products and would be willing to pay more for them [4,[77][78][79]. However, adequate information provision is discussed as an influencing factor amongst others in this context [18,20,23,77,78]. For example, information on the housing conditions under which farm animals were kept have been shown to be important for the credibility and recognizability of animal welfare products and consequently represents an important prerequisite to translate attitude (i.e. ...
... According to Djekic and Tomasevic [7], meat production and consumption impact three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental), and meat is considered the food with the greatest impact on the entire food supply chain, with the greatest impact in the livestock sector, which has the highest environmental impact. The pig sector is the largest contributor to global meat production at over 37%, with global meat attributes related to animal welfare, traceability and health products [30]. Croatian consumers are not yet sufficiently familiar with the impact of animal welfare on meat quality, but their awareness is growing, and they are increasingly demanding transparency in food production [31]. ...
... Information about consumers' wants and needs should be important for producers so that they can provide products for which consumers are willing to pay. Their goal should therefore be to have the right products for the right customers [30,32]. ...
There are limited data on Croatian consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for fresh meat from the Black Slavonian pig. The survey was conducted on a sample of n = 410 Croatian consumers, using a hypothetical choice experiment to examine how food attributes and information treatment influence consumers’ decisions regarding fresh ham meat of the Black Slavonian pig. The hypothetical choice experiment was conducted using fresh boneless pork ham with three attributes (price, colour and geographical information) as the focuses of the product. Croatian consumers were randomly assigned to one of two treatment options (control or information) in an online survey to investigate the role of information. Our results indicate that Croatian consumers have a clear preference for fresh boneless ham from the Black Slavonian pig produced in both production systems and labelled as reared in continental Croatia and with a protected designation of origin (PDO) label, compared with fresh boneless ham produced from conventionally reared pigs (intensive rearing—indoor rearing) without the label. The results show that the information given to consumers about the production system, meat colour and geographical information positively influenced consumer choice. Appropriate labelling and information about the product can positively influence consumers’ preferences, which indicates the importance of highlighting the traditional characteristics (production system, darker colour of the meat and production area) of fresh meat from Black Slavonian pig on the label in promotional activities.
... Furthermore, it turned out that information on advantages and disadvantages did not lead to a higher acceptability of a negatively perceived housing system nor to a lower acceptability of a positively perceived housing system [11]. Several willingness to pay studies underly consumers' preference for animal welfare as they indicate consumers' willingness to pay higher prices for products from more animal friendly production systems [26,27]. ...
... This is also in line with Sonntag et al. [11], where economic trade-offs were neglected over animal welfare trade-offs even though other trade-offs relating to emissions, for example, were on a comparable level. Furthermore, the comparatively high willingness to accept higher product prices in favour of animal welfare in our study corresponds to results from several willingness-to-pay studies that revealed that consumers are willing to pay higher prices for products from more animal-friendly production systems [26,27]. To sum up, according to our results, product price does not seem to be a suitable argument to justify pig housing systems with lower animal welfare levels. ...
In recent years, intensive pig husbandry has been subject to increasing public criticism, including a clear demand for more animal-friendly housing systems in many countries. However, such systems are associated with trade-offs at the expense of other sustainability domains, which challenges implementation and makes prioritization necessary. Overall, research is scarce that systematically analyses citizens’ evaluation of different pig housing systems and associated trade-offs. Given the ongoing transformation process of future livestock systems that meet social demands, it is crucial to include public attitudes. We therefore assessed how citizens evaluate different pig housing systems and whether they are willing to compromise animal welfare in trade-off situations. We conducted an online survey with 1,038 German citizens using quota and split sampling in a picture-based survey design. Participants were asked to evaluate several housing systems with different animal welfare levels and associated trade-offs based on an either positive (‘free-range’ in split 1) or negative (‘indoor housing with fully slatted floors’ in split 2) reference system. Initial acceptability was highest for the ‘free-range’ system, followed by ‘indoor housing with straw bedding and outdoor access’, ‘indoor housing with straw bedding’, and ‘indoor housing with fully slatted floors’, with only the latter being clearly not acceptable for many. Overall acceptability was higher with a positive rather than a negative reference system. When confronted with several trade-off situations, participants became uncertain and temporarily adjusted their evaluations. Thereby participants were most likely to trade off housing conditions against animal or human health rather than against climate protection or a lower product price. Nevertheless, a final evaluation demonstrated that participants did not fundamentally change their initial attitudes. Our findings provide evidence that citizens’ desire for good housing conditions is relatively stable, but they are willing to compromise at the expense of animal welfare up to a moderate level.
... Nonetheless, it is not easy to achieve the consumers' willingness to pay for increased animal welfare in practice. The increase in public concern, in some cases, may not be enough to cover the increased price of the final product [169][170][171][172]. Other challenges can also be that the willingness to pay is influenced by various factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, gender, and educational level [169]. ...
... Other challenges can also be that the willingness to pay is influenced by various factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, gender, and educational level [169]. Still, in general, consumers are concerned about the animal welfare of food productions animal, and clean labelling and information can be a way of increasing the willingness to pay [169,172]. Furthermore, a collaborative approach to a positive welfare protocol between farmers and scientists is also important. Stokes et al. [173] developed a positive welfare assessment scheme for dairy cows based on the scientific literature, applied it on focus farms, consulted the farmers, received their feedback, refined the scheme according to farmers' recommendations, and investigated the farmer's attitude towards positive welfare. ...
Nowadays, there is growing interest in positive animal welfare not only from the view of scientists but also from that of society. The consumer demands more sustainable livestock production, and animal welfare is an essential part of sustainability, so there is interest in incorporating positive welfare indicators into welfare assessment schemes and legislation. The aim of this review is to cite all the positive welfare indicators that have been proposed for dairy animals in theory or practice. In total, twenty-four indicators were retrieved. The most promising are exploration, access to pasture, comfort and resting, feeding, and behavioral synchronicity. Qualitative behavioral assessment (QBA), social affiliative behaviors, play, maternal care, ear postures, vocalizations, visible eye white, nasal temperature, anticipation, cognitive bias, laterality, and oxytocin have been also studied in dairy ruminants. QBA is the indicator that is most often used for the on-farm welfare assessment. Among all dairy animals, studies have been performed mostly on cattle, followed by sheep and goats, and finally buffaloes. The research on camel welfare is limited. Therefore, there is a need for further research and official assessment protocols for buffaloes and especially camels.
... texture and taste (Oliveira et al., 2008), resulting in a demand for animal welfare that grows in parallel with the socioeconomic development of broiler industry to fit the consumer's profile (Napolitano et al., 2010). ...
... Which may result in the consumption of fragments that are foreign to the diet and poultry house litter, compromising innate behavior causing pain, fear, and distress (Aruljothi et al., 2017). In addition, these fragments may further compromise the health status of broiler chickens and ultimately the health or the perspective of meat quality by the consumer (Napolitano et al., 2010;Benjamin et. al., 2015). ...
Fragments with vibrant colors and attractive textures in poultry house litter may be consumed considering that the confinement environment does not offer many opportunities for the development of the birds’s natural behavior. Control and quality programs aiming to reduce and to eliminate the consumption of materials from the construction of sheds have been implanted. However, it is necessary to develop studies for a better understanding of the bird’s ingestive behavior and the consequences for their health, welfare and productivity. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ingestive behavior of broilers exposed to metal, wood, glass and plastic fragments at different concentrations and sizes added to the poultry house litter and the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. A total of 360 birds were distributed in a completely randomized design over a 2x3 factorial scheme (2 fragment sizes: 2 to 7 mm and 5 to 8 mm and 3 concentrations: 0.1, 0.5 and 1%), totaling 6 treatments and 5 replicates. The fragments used were glass, wood, metal and plastic, in respective concentrations and sizes, distributed in the poultry house litter. The supply of fragments or the accidental occurrence of similar fragments to which were analyzed in this study concerning the poultry house litter, with different sizes, colors and textures does not compromise the integrity of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and the welfare of the birds.
Keywords:
Fragments; gastrointestinal mucosa; poultry house litter; poultry welfare
... The lack of adequate shelter for animals or places prepared for them in terms of health in rural areas increases the dangers that animals suffer [53]. The farmer's use of antibiotics in animal foods is due to the lack of health care caused by the lack of veterinarians [54,55]. The human consumption of these dairy products and milk may generate diseases and resistance that may be transmitted to farmers and threaten their safety and health [54,55]. ...
... The farmer's use of antibiotics in animal foods is due to the lack of health care caused by the lack of veterinarians [54,55]. The human consumption of these dairy products and milk may generate diseases and resistance that may be transmitted to farmers and threaten their safety and health [54,55]. ...
Smallholder farmers are the cornerstone of the livestock sector and an essential element in building and developing the local dairy value chain, critical for developing its local economy. In Georgia, and despite the efforts made since independence from the Soviet Union until now, farmers still face many problems that prevent them from participating effectively in developing the dairy value chain, especially heavy metal pollution that afflicts the study region. This research study refers to smallholder farmers' viewpoints in the Kvemo Kartli region on the dairy production sector and the problems these farmers face. This study also investigates the effect of several factors (ethical factors, traditions, animal welfare, cultural factors, etc.) on the dairy value chain. The convergence model was used in the mixed-method approach's triangular design as a methodology for this research study. As part of the social data, 140 farmers who produce and sell milk and cheese in the Kvemo Kartli region were interviewed. The results showed the influence of the ethical, cultural, and traditional factors in developing the value chain. The results also showed the problems and difficulties small farmers face in rural areas, on the one hand, and the gap between these farmers and governmental and private organisations on the other hand. These results are compared to those of a previous study, where interviews with experts in Georgia's dairy production sector were performed.
... Another critical attribute that consumer consider when making food choices is animal welfare [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59]. Meat from the wild game can have the highest level of animal welfare amongst meat products if harvested under strict and regulated hunting practices, thereby eliminating the process of transport and slaughter that cause stress and pain to livestock husbandry [41,[60][61][62][63]. Positive attitude towards game meat, including animal welfare, affects the willingness to pay (WTP) [38]. ...
... The survey revealed that people are unaware of the possibilities of obtaining new game meat, often have prejudices about how wild animals are abused before death, reject the way of obtaining the game meat through hunting, which is distortedly perceived as a mere sports activity or killing for fun. Many previous studies confirmed these hunting concerns from the consumers' perspectives [38,[51][52][53][54][55][56]59]. However, according to other studies [41,[59][60][61][62][63], wild animals do not suffer from stress during the gentle hunting period, especially during the precise shot, and they are dead almost immediately. ...
Sensory analysis is unusual in sustainability research, although it can offer a neoteric aspect of nature and wild animals' perception. The study's objective was to identify consumers' attitudes towards plant and animal products from wild and conventional foods and put these findings into a broader social context. A blind sensory evaluation with 80 semi-trained assessors was used, segmented by gender, age, education, income, place of origin, family status, number of children, and willingness to pay. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) was chosen as an example of an overpopulated animal species occurring in the wild, which could be considered a partial substitute for pork. Statistical testing in these blind evaluations proved that wild boar meat is not considered less tasty. Therefore, wild boar meat could represent a partial substitute, complementing pork, on which consumers are willing to spend the same amount of money. Despite the mostly indifferent sensory evaluation, focus group responses showed considerable barriers to wild food. This paper concludes that possible educational and popularizing procedures are presented, including forest pedagogy, eliminating consumers' prejudices. A mixed-methods approach within quantitative and qualitative methodology was chosen.
... This comes together with the 'less but better' strategy, a market trend promoting a reduction in meat consumption while eating high-quality products [23]. Consumers' interests are changing in favor of integrity and traceability, eating enjoyment, and ethical production systems, and they are willing to pay the extra costs that these 'exclusive' and high-quality products have [24]. Future topics considered within product quality research will tend to include animal performance and its relationship with product quality, sensory analysis, healthier and functional animal food products, and products derived from indigenous breeds [25]. ...
The present research aims to describe how turkey meat and carcass quality traits define the interest of the scientific community through the quality standards of journals in which studies are published. To this end, an analysis of 92 research documents addressing the study of turkey carcass and meat quality over the last 57 years was performed. Meat and carcass quality attributes were dependent variables and included traits related to carcass dressing, muscle fiber, pH, colorimetry, water-holding capacity, texture, and chemical composition. The independent variables comprised publication quality traits, including journal indexation, database, journal impact factor (JIF), quartile, publication area, and JIF percentage. For each dependent variable, a data-mining chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) decision tree was developed. Carcass or piece yield was the only variable that did not show an impact on the publication quality. Moreover, color and pH measurements taken at 72 h postmortem showed a negative impact on publication interest. On the other hand, variables including water-retaining attributes, colorimetry, pH, chemical composition, and shear force traits stood out among the quality-enhancing variables due to their low inclusion in papers, while high standards improved power.
... Consumers did not receive additional information about the different types of cheese tested, so it might be interesting to assess the impact of attributes related to the health qualities of the fatty acid profile of cheeses which cannot be ascertained from the direct tasting experience. Indeed, it was demonstrated that information about credence attributes of animal-based products is able to move the expectations towards an increase in quality perception and consumer liking [39]. A proper communication strategy would be expected to drive consumers' preferences towards products obtained from animals under specific dietary plans that are able to sustain human health upon consumption. ...
The impact of flaxseed and Ascophyllum nodosum supplementation in ewes during the summer season on the fatty acid and sensory profile and consumer preference for cheese was evaluated. Comisana ewes (n = 32) were divided into four groups: a control (CON) group fed (30 days) with pelleted concentrate, a flaxseed (FS) group fed with whole flaxseed supplementation (250 g/ewe per day), an A. nodosum (AN) group fed with 5% of A. nodosum (into 1 kg/ewe of pelleted concentrate), and an FS + AN group fed with a combination of algae and flaxseed. Pecorino cheeses were analysed after 1 day (curd) and after 45 days (cheese) of ripening. Curd from the FS and FS + AN groups registered higher contents of MUFA, n-3, and n-3/n-6, and lower levels of atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes than curd from the CON and AN groups, as well as a higher content of C18:3n-3, C18:2t9t12, and CLA9c11t, and n-3 and n-3/n-6 fatty acids. Consumers attributed the lowest scores for appearance attributes to AN Pecorino cheese; while Pecorino cheese from FS and FS + AN was judged to have a high-strength flavour attribute and a low rancid, mouldy, and piquant flavour, in comparison with cheese from AN. Flaxseed supplementation could be an effective strategy to improve the nutritional quality of the lipid fraction of cheese without having a detrimental impact on its sensory attributes, especially during the summer season.
... Such few studies are in contrast with the high number of studies on consumer behavior toward sustainable products in general (Alzubaidi et al., 2021; and toward specific categories of products, such as clothing (e.g., Dangelico et al., 2022a;Paço et al., 2020), cars (e.g., Corradi et al., 2023;Secinaro et al., 2022), electronic products (e.g., Fraccascia et al., 2023), luxury products (Essiz & Senyuz, 2024), remanufactured products (Hazen et al., 2017), and food and beverage products as well (e.g., Rondoni & Grasso, 2021). Studies on sustainable consumer behavior in the food and beverage industry have been conducted with a focus on several products, such as fruit and vegetables (Boca, 2021), wine (Cobelli et al., 2021;Rodriguez-Sanchez & Sellers-Rubio, 2021;Sgroi et al., 2023;Vecchio et al., 2023), chocolate (Vecchio & Annunziata, 2015), seafood products (Zander & Feucht, 2018), meat products (Tait et al., 2016;Vanhonacker et al., 2013), coffee (De Pelsmacker et al., 2005;Van Loo et al., 2015), dairy products (Napolitano et al., 2010), and eggs (Güney & Giraldo, 2020). On the contrary, sustainable consumer behavior with specific regard to beer has so far been an under-investigated topic, with a limited number of studies (Carley & Yahng, 2018;Lee et al., 2020). ...
This paper aims to shed light on the determinants of sustainable products' purchase intention, with a focus on sustainable beer. Specifically, three determinants related to the theory of planned behavior (i.e., perceived consumer effectiveness, social influence, and environmental concern) and two determinants related to the perceived value (i.e., green perceived utility and perceived quality) have been investigated. Five categories of environmentally sustainable beer have been considered: three referred to the types of ingredients (organic, local, and Italian) and two to the type of packaging (recycled and biodegradable). Furthermore, the effect of gender has been investigated for all the five above‐mentioned sustainable solutions. A survey has been conducted on 790 Italian consumers and structural equation modeling (SEM) has been employed for hypothesis testing. Results show that perceived quality, green perceived utility, and environmental concern influence the purchase intention of sustainable beer, regardless of the specific type of sustainable solution. Further, results highlight that gender does moderate the relationship between perceived quality and purchase intention only for two types of sustainable solutions (local ingredients and recycled packaging). Several implications for scholars, companies, and policymakers are drawn from this study.
... Therefore, there remains significant room for improvement in enhancing animal welfare in small-scale mountain dairy farming, especially considering the increasing consumer awareness of animal welfare issues and ethical concerns surrounding animal production. Napolitano et al. 38 emphasized the importance of providing consumers with accurate information about animal welfare-friendly production methods through effective labeling and scientifically validated monitoring systems to encourage willingness to pay more for animal-based products. However, farmers face the challenge that higher production costs to ensure better welfare standards are often not offset by higher market prices, as many consumers remain indifferent to animal welfare when purchasing animal-based products 39 . ...
This study estimates the association between the level of biosecurity, animal welfare, milk quality, and economic performance on 2291 mountain dairy farms which largely differs in management and structure from large dairy operations in the lowlands mainly due to climatic and topographic constraints in mountain areas. The dairy industry’s increasing emphasis on biosecurity is crucial for ensuring animal health, productivity, and disease mitigation. Therefore, in the present study the biosecurity and animal welfare status of mountain dairy farms were assessed considering the official welfare protocol for dairy cows of the Italian ClassyFarm system. Our findings reveal a suboptimal adoption of biosecurity measures, attributed to structural limitations in mountain farms and farmers’ awareness gaps. Despite these challenges, the economic significance of biosecurity adoption is evident, emphasizing potential benefits for farm viability and animal health. Conversely, the study indicates a moderate to good welfare status in assessed farms, reflecting farmers’ awareness of the importance of high welfare standards for dairy cows. Improved welfare positively correlates with milk sales and productivity, highlighting the economic advantages of prioritizing animal well-being. Challenges persist, particularly regarding animal housing deficiencies and related consumer concerns about animal welfare in dairy production. Therefore, targeted interventions and educational initiatives are crucial to empower farmers and promote best practices in biosecurity and animal welfare management. However, addressing resultant production cost increases necessitates society’s willingness to pay more for animal-based food, emphasizing the importance of aligning economic incentives with sustainable farming practices.
... The issue of animal welfare has taken center stage and affected meat production and marketing, with the potential to impact overall meat demand (14)(15)(16). With increasing awareness and education, consumers are now more conscious about the welfare of animals and the treatment given to animals throughout the production chain (17)(18)(19). Proper compliance with animal welfare during meat production, particularly handling before slaughter, could improve animal productivity and the welfare of livestock. In addition, proper preslaughtering is crucial for ethical meat production and ensuring the spiritual quality of meat (20,21). ...
Introduction
The present study evaluated the effect of preslaughter stress intensities on the behavioral, physiological, blood biochemicals, and hormonal responses in goats.
Methods
Twenty-seven intact male goats (Ardi breed, 10 months of age, 27 kg liveweight) were divided into three treatment groups viz., the control (C) group, ear pulling (EP) group, and leg pulling (LP) group. Various behavioral, physiological, blood biochemical and hormonal responses were recorded before and after handling.
Results and Discussion
The EP and LP goats had a higher frequency and intensity of vocalization as compared to control goats. The preslaughter handling stress intensities had a significant effect on the before and after handling values of heart rate, respiration rate, rectal temperature, and ear temperature. Further, among groups, the glucose value increased significantly upon preslaughter handling as compared to the baseline value. The LP goats had significantly higher after-handling value for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as compared to the before-handling value. The catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline) and β-endorphin concentrations increased significantly upon preslaughter handling. The higher physiological, behavioral, blood biochemical, and hormonal response indicated higher preslaughter stress in EP and LP goats. Both levels of intensity revealed unfavorable responses in goats that may adversely affect animal welfare and meat quality. Thus, to ensure minimal adverse effects on behavior, physiology, blood enzymes, and hormonal responses, it is recommended to follow animal welfare principles when implementing preslaughter handling practices.
... Consumers' increasing sensitivity to animal welfare, comprising of cognitive and emotional dimensions, have resulted in changes in purchase behavior [37]. Notably, ethical issues surrounding today's highly intensive livestock production techniques have been increasingly affecting consumers' choice of livestock products [26,38,39]. Animals in intensive livestock production systems are likely to suffer from stress and a poor quality of life, which result in their higher susceptibility to diseases [40], thus requiring a greater use of AMs. ...
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock is a complicated and multi-sectoral risk that threatens public health in the interactions between humans, animals, and environment. Through their increased awareness of AMR issues, consumers can make a significant impact on regulations and strategies to reduce or eliminate the use of antimicrobials use. This study aims to provide evidence-based data for promoting the prudent use of antimicrobials (PUA) in the livestock industry to reduce the risk of AMR and increase animal welfare by identifying consumers' intentions to support PUA practices in livestock farming. An online survey was conducted on 1000 respondents in South Korea to examine their intention to pay more for PUA practices in livestock farming at state and individual levels against their pro-animal attitude, risk perception of antimicrobial overuse, trust in antimicrobial overuse control, and perceived value of PUA practices. The survey data was analyzed using multiple linear regression to identify the determinants of Korean consumers' support for PUA practices. Approximately 86.3% of the respondents supported government-level spending for PUA in livestock farming, and the same portion of respondents intended to pay more for livestock products that complied with the PUA principle. The four attitudinal variables—pro-animal attitude, consumers' risk perception, trust in antimicrobial resistance control, and perceived value of PUA—positively affected both state- and individual-level support. Overall, our findings highlight the Korean consumers' demand for reducing the risk of AMR and their perceived universal value of PUA for humans and animals.
... In addition, consumers clearly express preferences for products obtained using animalwelfare-friendly techniques [69], and information on animal welfare can positively affect the quality perception of lamb meat and beef [70]. ...
Ecosystem services (ESs) are gaining increasing interest among researchers, local communities, and policymakers. The farming of Podolian cattle in the remote and marginal areas of southern Italy plays an important socio-economic role. This study aimed to assess the perception of ESs provided by Podolian cattle farming in the Basilicata region among the local actors and stakeholders. Using a questionnaire administered to 198 respondents, the level of agreement and disagreement was assessed on a 1–5 scale for the four main ESs: cultural, regulating, supporting, and provisioning. On average, the perception of ESs related to Podolian cattle farming was positive. However, the role of promoting tourism in the region was somewhat controversial, and the results in terms of regulation were divisive. The perception of provisioning services had a highly positive result. Further research is needed to better understand the role of Podolian cattle farming in the Basilicata region, providing more explicit guidance for local communities and policymakers.
... The organic farming system is regulated at both European and national levels [9]. Due to an increase in demand for organic products [10], the EU has adopted a new regulation (implemented on 1 January 2022) to prevent fraud in organic farming products and improve the competitiveness of European producers against non-EU imports [9]. ...
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether production costs can be reduced and whether the profitability of organic chicken fattening can be increased by selecting the appropriate genotypes. Rhode Island Red (K-11) and Sussex (S-66) conservative chicken genotypes, as well as modern chicken genotypes such as slow-growing Hubbard JA 957 hybrids and fast-growing Ross 308 hybrids, were selected for the study. One hundred and sixty chickens were used in the experiment (forty birds per group). The birds were fed commercial organic complete feed up to 52 days of age and organic farm-made feed (to reduce costs) between 53 and 81 days of age. Population distribution was determined using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. The results were analyzed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with multiple comparisons and the post hoc Tukey test at a significance level of p < 0.05. The 81-day fattening period (the minimum recommended period in organic farming) led to considerable weight deficits in Rhode Island Red and S-66 chickens and excessive slaughter/trade weights in Hubbard JA 957 and Ross 308 chickens. The feed conversion ratio was high in Rhode Island Red (K-11) and Sussex (S-66) chickens at 4.19 and 4.50, respectively, and much lower in Hubbard JA 957 and Ross 308 chickens at 2.79 and 2.53, respectively. The choice of chicken genotypes had a major impact on the profitability of organic farming, and the total costs of feed and other ingredients per kg of body weight were determined at EUR 3.83 for Rhode Island Red (K-11), EUR 3.90 for Sussex (S-66), EUR 6.57 for Hubbard JA 957, and EUR 6.62 for Ross 308 genotypes. The profitability of organic farming can be increased by selecting modern, meat-type, slow-growing chicken genotypes.
... Concerns about farming practices and housing systems have grown in recent decades, being a key aspect in orienting consumer preferences (Napolitano et al., 2010;Szendrő et al., 2020;Leroy and Petracci, 2021;Crovato et al., 2022). Indeed, based on the European Citizens' Initiative End the Cage Age, the European Parliament Resolution on minimum standards for the protection of farmed rabbits (European Parliament, 2021) asked the Commission to phase out cages in all European farms by 2027 and called for the adoption of alternative housing systems. ...
The aim of this study was to compare the carcass traits and meat quality of growing rabbits reared in four types of commercially available housing systems (i.e. bicellular cages, dual-purpose cages, enriched cages and elevated pens) across three production cycles covering different seasons (i.e. autumn, winter and summer) under field conditions. The rabbits originated from 12 commercial farms (three farms per housing system) located in the Northeast of Italy and were slaughtered in five commercial slaughterhouses at a slaughter age from 71 to 90 d. Twenty carcasses per farm and cycle were randomly selected at the slaughterhouse and carcass and meat quality traits were evaluated 24 h post-mortem. The heaviest carcass weights were found in rabbits reared in enriched cages, followed by those in parks, while the lightest carcasses were found in rabbits from bicellular cages. Carcass fat and longissimus lumborum proportions were higher and hind legs proportion lower in carcasses of rabbits kept in enriched cages compared to those from the other systems. Based on significant differences for meat quality traits (i.e. pH, L*, thawing losses and shear force) among housing systems, ante-mortem stress was likely lower in rabbits from enriched cages and parks than in those from bicellular and dual-purpose cages. Nevertheless, these differences were not translated into noticeable changes in meat quality because of the small variations among housing systems. Overall, the observed differences could not be strictly and exclusively related to the enclosure in which the animals were housed, but also to other production and ante-mortem factors. The rearing season significantly affected slaughter traits, with lower slaughter and carcass weights in summer compared to winter and autumn. Despite the limit in the sample size of investigated farms, this study highlighted that under field conditions the final product quality of rabbits is not clearly distinguishable based on the housing system per se.
... For example, for more than 9 out of 10 EU citizens, the protection of animal welfare is important, and approximately 80% believe that the welfare of farmed animals should be better protected. Furthermore, consumers' preferences for animal welfare are also reflected by their interest in animal-friendly products and their willingness to pay a price premium for such products (European Commission, 2007;Napolitano et al., 2010;European Commission, 2016;Clark et al., 2017;Yang and Renwick, 2019). For example, more than 50% of European consumers claim to be willing to pay more for products from more animal-friendly husbandry systems or to change their shopping behavior in favor of animal welfare (European Commission, 2007;European Commission, 2016). ...
In recent years, farm animal welfare has become an important issue from both an animal science and a societal perspective. Moreover, livestock production is increasingly associated with negative consequences for human health, the environment, and the climate. Thus, there is clear evidence that a more sustainable focus in animal husbandry is needed. However, this is a complex and challenging task, as different stakeholders and emerging trade-offs regarding sustainability need to be considered. For example, outdoor climate housing systems may be socially valued and bring benefits to animal welfare, but at the same time may be detrimental to the environment, the climate, human health, or even animal health. With regard to a sustainable, future-oriented transformation of animal husbandry, it is crucial to identify potential trade-offs and to evaluate them from not only a scientific perspective, but also a societal perspective. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find out how citizens assess the importance of various aspects of livestock production from different goal categories (e.g., ensuring animal welfare vs. environmental or climate protection), as well as within the category "ensuring animal welfare" (e.g., good housing conditions vs. good health conditions). A total of 2,000 participants were recruited via an online panel provider using quota and split sampling. We used the best-worst scaling (BWS) approach to measure the importance of the different aspects for four different farm animal species (dairy cows: n = 503; fattening pigs: n = 500; broilers: n = 499; and laying hens: n = 498). The results show that, regardless of animal species, in a trade-off situation, citizens prioritize animal welfare and human health over other sustainability aspects and, in particular, over product attributes (i.e., product price and taste). In terms of animal welfare, the provision of good housing conditions was found to be the most important sub-aspect for all animal species, but good feeding and animal health were also ranked highly. We consider our results valuable for the development of policy frameworks aimed at a sustainable and socially accepted transformation of current animal husbandry.
... As a direct result of this, the vast majority of individuals who contributed to the conversation rated it as having lower importance. More than ever before throughout human history, concerns about the welfare of animals are having an impact on the purchasing decisions of consumers in rich countries (Napolitano et al., 2010;Jewell, 2015). ...
One of the most significant areas is the poultry industry, which plays an important role in the United Arab Emirates and even the Arab Gulf region.” Modern intensive production systems have helped in the events of vertical integration, which has effectively affected the increase in the competitiveness of the poultry industry in the UAE market. However, it is the concerns raised frequently about the environmental impact of industry and the safety of food and animal welfare, in order to ensure long-term viability, manufacturing methods must be continually improved.
Poultry industries in the United Arab Emirates face severe challenges and different agricultural, climatic, environmental, social, and economic conditions, as well as the various national and regional policies regarding sustainability to produce enough chicken to feed a growing world population. Studying these factors seeks to give ideas that can enhance chicken production in the United Arab Emirates' sustainability. For the purpose of assessing the root causes of some issues, the Delphi technique was used by the private sector, government and non-organization such as Animal Welfare and integrated poultry enterprises to identify and prioritize the most critical sustainability problems in chicken production. Delphi method. Through in-depth discussions with poultry industry specialists, this information was gathered.
We find the results have shown Controversy about the viability of chicken farming centers on social, animal, and economic concerns. As an example, consider the debate about the usage of antibiotics, the killing of male chicks, and the role of retailers in chicken farming may a few cause concern about poultry production, in addition to the possibility of an outbreak of bird in addition to extremely contagious illnesses and the consequences that may result from combating diseases in neighboring countries, which It may affect the possibility of Contamination of meat and eggs with animal-derived germs is the most contentious problem, raising questions about import partners' requirements for poultry goods.
So, we conclude that the UAE poultry companies have primarily used effective strategies to improve poultry production sustainability in accordance with the rules that govern each emirate, as well as the requirements set by some animal welfare groups or NGOs, in order to meet the needs of the industry. Thus, there may be constraints on certain linked concerns such as antibiotic usage or certain pathological illnesses as a consequence of trade-offs between economic efficiency, consumer demand, the present availability of technology and innovation, and the effective function of social media.
Making chicken production less reliant on antibiotics is one of many suggestions made in this case study for increasing poultry sustainability in the United Arab Emirates. prevent bird diseases, such as bird flu and Newcastle, which effectively affect improving consumers' perceptions of the quality of national production.
It supports the geographical dispersal of genetic stock, which also increases international cooperation in the invention and development of new technologies to improve research in the field of animal feed supplies in border regions to prevent and control infectious illnesses.
... Although most consumers are relatively ill-informed regarding modern animal production (Heinke & Theuvsen 2017;Stampa et al. 2020), they have more access to information about animal welfare than ever before thanks to the internet and global media (Toma et al. 2010;Tonsor & Olynk 2011;McKendree et al. 2014). This rising concern is often measured in terms of willingnessto-pay (WTP) (Napolitano et al. 2010;Nocella et al. 2010;Lusk & Norwood 2011). ...
Consumer concern about farmed animal welfare is growing but does not always translate into real-world purchasing behaviour of welfare-friendly animal products for human consumption. Possible reasons for this include unfamiliarity with farming practices and economic sensitivity. In contrast, the number and role of pets in the United States have grown measurably, and spending on pets is strong. The pet food market has many opportunity niches as pet owners navigate strong marketing trends and nutrition philosophies. We hypothesised that pet owners in the US would be willing to pay a premium for pet food containing welfare-friendly animal ingredients. Eight hundred and thirty-eight pet owners completed an online survey asking questions that measured their knowledge of and interest in farm animal welfare, and their willingness-to-pay for pet food labelled as farm animal welfare-friendly. Respondents overall displayed relatively low knowledge about farm animal welfare, but poor self-assessment of their own knowledge. They displayed interest in farm animal welfare and an overall positive mean willingness-to-pay (WTP) for welfare-friendly pet food. Younger respondents, women and cat owners displayed a higher WTP than older respondents, men and dog owners. Income level was not correlated to WTP. Creating pet food products that contain animal ingredients produced using welfare-friendly practices may enhance farm animal welfare via two primary avenues: by providing a sustainable and value-added outlet for the by-products of welfare-friendly human food products, and by providing an educational opportunity about farm animal production via pet food packaging and other advertising.
... Individual consumers have varying degrees of knowledge and perception of labels and wording of a label can skew consumer knowledge and acceptance of a product. Studies have shown that while intensive livestock production systems do have better animal welfare outcomes in some circumstances, the associated negative impacts of such systems are especially vivid to consumers thereby causing decreased trust (Napolitano, Girolami & Braghieri, 2010;Vanhonacker et al. 2008;Pieniak, Vanhonacker & Verbeke, 2013). ...
As consumers have become increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it is grown, the cattle and beef industry is without exception. Many consumers are beginning to question traditional animal husbandry practices and on-farm animal welfare protocol. It is essential that the food system meets new demands and understands consumer views. In order to address these concerns, the industry has rallied around the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program to set the standard for cattle welfare and beef quality, with the explicit goal of improving consumer confidence. The goal of this research is to determine if cattle producers would be willing to participate in animal welfare verification programs based on BQA to ensure that cattle are being raised in accordance with industry standards. Data were collected through an online survey sent to a national sample of cattle producers. The survey was designed to determine specific producer demographics that would be inclined to participate, their opinions of the BQA program, and using fractional factorial design to assess what components of a program would most likely encourage producer participation.
... Both the J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f detection of poor welfare conditions and the identification of good farming practices minimizing detrimental effects on the animals may prompt a virtuous circle leading to the continuous improvement of animal welfare, while also matching the ethical requirements of consumers (Colditz et al., 2014). Currently, consumers perceive food quality not only in terms of convenience, sensory and safety characteristics: they also increasingly take into account the welfare of the animals producing that food (Napolitano et al., 2010). In particular, fifty-nine percent of European consumers are prepared to pay more for products sourced from animal welfare-friendly production systems; around 35% will pay up to 5% more, while only a small minority (3%) are prepared to pay more than 20%. ...
Despite its importance little is known about the attitudes of different stakeholder categories towards issues that impact the welfare of sheep. This study determined the relevance attributed by various stakeholders to different sheep welfare indicators and assessed which demographic characteristics can influence their scores. Data were collected through a questionnaire presented on paper face-to-face to 15 sheep farmers in Italy during farm visits in June and July 2020 and the same questionnaire was transferred online to a Google Form and an announcement was sent by email and on social platforms to consumers, with a total of 311 respondents completed the questionnaire. The survey was composed of two parts. In the first part respondents were asked to declare their demographic characteristics. In the second part they rated the relevance attributed to eleven indicators of sheep welfare (eight animal-based: leanness, fleece condition, fleece cleanliness, skin lesions, tail docking, lameness, hoof overgrowth, occurrence of mastitis; and three resource-based: insufficient clean drinking water availability, thermal discomfort, access to pasture) using a ten-point Likert scale. An ordinal logistic regression descending function with stepwise selection was used to analyze the effects within demographic data and the distribution of the Likert scale for each indicator. The number of respondents (n = 311) was quite small, nevertheless, the differences that are reported give some guidance on the relative importance accorded to each of these groups of stakeholders to each of the welfare indicators. Female respondents gave higher relevance to most of the indicators compared with male respondents (P<0.05), whereas respondents with a lower education level gave more relevance to four out of the eleven welfare indicators compared with stakeholders with a higher education level (P<0.05). As for respondent categories, non-farmer experts attributed more relevance to lameness, whereas farmers gave a lower relevance to tail docking, while expressing a higher level of concern for leanness compared with the other categories (P<0.05). Finally, more frequent consumers of sheep products considered leanness to be most important (P<0.05). No significant difference was found based on the nationality or the work declared. This study provides information about how different stakeholder categories perceive different aspects of sheep welfare and whether this perception is affected by demographic characteristics, thus promoting informed dialogue between society and the scientific community about the relevance to be attributed to different sheep welfare indicators.
... Animal welfare proves fundamental when talking about food product choices. In this regard, see, by way of example, Napolitano et al. (2010) and Verbeke (2009). The main finding in the literature is that the greater the attention for animal living conditions is, the greater the interest in products that ensure respect and welfare, including the meat of wild animals that live in the wild until they are killed (Marescotti et al. 2020(Marescotti et al. , 2019Demartini et al. 2018;Tidball et al. 2014). ...
The increasing numbers of wild animals in Europe is leading, on the one hand, to growing problems stemming from their interaction with human activities. On the other, many European countries have still not developed national supply chains to market wild game. Instead, these supply chains could represent a win–win strategy in providing a sustainable alternative to production via intensive livestock farming and developing rural territories. Our aim was to understand consumer behaviour towards wild game meat. We conducted a choice experiment on wild boar meat on a sample of Italian consumers (625). The application of a hybrid model combining a structural equation model and a latent class analysis allowed us to identify the antecedents of attitude towards wild game meat and to analyse consumer choices by utilising attitude as an explanatory variable. The results provide useful suggestions to implement rural development policies and offer food for thought in the area of consumer behaviour.
... The increasing willingness of consumers to support small local producers [62,63] and to obtain more information about environmental factors in product labels [30][31][32]64], together with higher societal preference for pasture-fed meat [31] and animal welfare gaining prominence in the hierarchy of social issues [65], may represent an opportunity for market differentiation of Fireflocks products to secure the long-term viability of involved farms and linked landscape conservation initiatives [28]. As consumers increasingly value sustainability attributes, they also tend to be willing to pay a premium for sustainabilitylabeled products [39], therefore, there is the challenge to develop commercial strategies to adapt to such demand [32]. ...
Extensive livestock grazing has proved to be a valuable tool to reduce wildfire risk in Mediterranean landscapes. Meat from herds providing wildfire prevention services exhibit sustainability traits that can appeal to ethical consumers and find a suitable niche in local markets. This study assesses the preferences of a consumer sample in the province of Girona (north-eastern Spain) for different lamb meat labeling options from herds providing wildfire prevention services. The aim is to disentangle consumer profiles, providing evidence for improved product labeling. This may increase the added value and the viability of small farms providing this service. Employing a latent class modeling approach, we explore how meat consumption patterns and socioeconomic features may contribute to explain preferences for different meat labeling options. Our results have identified three consumer profiles: traditional rural consumers relying on trust with producers, younger consumers more akin to new labeling schemes, and urban consumers that support local butchers as a trusted information source. Different labeling mechanisms may work in a complementary way to arrive to different audiences of potential consumers. Geographical indication labels can serve as a good departure point, complemented with information cues on environmental factors related to wildfire protection.
... Appearance is often observed in food products purchased from supermarkets and hypermarkets [1]. Following the scheme proposed by Napolitano et al. [28], appearance with odor, flavor, and texture are sensory attributes that can influence consumer acceptance of meat. Visible characteristics of meat (i.e., color) can play a key role in consumers' choice [8,29], whereas those that cannot be evaluated-even after the normal use of the product (e.g., animal feeding guarantee, environmentally friendly production, respect for animal welfare, etc.)-require supplementary information to be made available to consumers. ...
Several factors drive consumer behavior in buying meat, particularly rabbit meat. The consumption of rabbits has decreased in Europe, and the main causes of this trend are an increasing association with the perception of rabbits as pets, consumers’ changes in lifestyle, and eating habits. Additionally, increasing attention is paid to ethical issues regarding animal welfare. Investigating consumers’ knowledge, perceptions, and concerns about rabbit meat production and consumption are crucial for improving market strategies. This study investigated consumers’ perspectives of rabbit meat to provide useful information to producers for promoting this sector to consumers. A mixed-methods research design was applied. Qualitative data were collected through four focus group discussions involving 32 consumers and quantitative data through a semi-structured questionnaire administered nationally and completed by 1001 consumers. The limited use of antibiotics in inbreeding and the absence of animal suffering are factors that most influence consumers’ willingness to purchase rabbit meat. Rural/domestic farms were recognized as places where animal welfare measures can be applied and have a positive influence not only on organoleptic quality but also on ethical value and food safety. The cage was perceived as unsuitable for rabbit growth and was oriented to a process of fattening based on industrial feed and antibiotics. Respondents sought information on rabbit farming during purchase, and the label was the most used tool. The rabbit meat production sector should consider these results to meet consumers’ demands and raise awareness among operators on the use of animal welfare-based farming systems, helping to build a more positive image of the rabbit meat industry.
... Conditions, such as climatic and socio-economic conditions, in these different enterprises influence product quality and how the animals are treated; so, any methodology used to assess the welfare of the animals needs to be adapted to the specific circumstances. The food safety, environmental impact, and welfare status on these different types of farms will influence how consumers view the final products, depending on whether they align with their values (Fraser 2003;Napolitano et al. 2010). Therefore, ensuring that these three requirements are met is essential for better marketing and public acceptance. ...
There is a growing demand for animal products, especially food for human consumption, including in developing countries in tropical regions of the world. Simultaneously, animal welfare and a reduced environmental impact are increasingly important to modern consumers and non-consumers. Increased efficiency of existing animal production systems is key to meeting the growing demand of animal products without ignoring societal concerns. Adequate animal welfare can play an important role in improving production and addressing consumer demands. This review describes the main cattle production systems in the tropics and considers how they meet the need for transparent animal welfare conditions. Several challenges to overcome are highlighted, including lack of information about the real cattle welfare status in the tropics. Adequate assessment protocols and improvements in animal nutrition, infrastructure, animal health and farming-related education need special attention in the region. Better animal welfare could improve tropical animal production in terms of productivity, and increase the volume of meat and milk delivered. It could also guarantee consumer acceptance and future consumption of animal products, secure incomes, alleviate poverty and reduce migration to urban areas and countryside abandonment. © 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
... In the recent past, it has been proven scientifically that animals also exhibit cognition process and feel pleasure and pain (Erdenk, 2013). This has further led to the utilitarian philosophy, wherein an individual aims to seek pleasure only if it has not caused any pain or harm to themself or others in the society (Napolitano et al., 2010). For instance, a utilitarian individual will not accept any product which has caused pain to another human or a non-human animal. ...
In emerging markets, instances of increasing consumers focus on ethical aspects of the product are observed. To this end, we aim to examine the influence of two ethical certifications and two product involvement types on consumers willingness to purchase ethical products at price premiums in the Indian market. No animal cruelty certification and no child labor certification are chosen as the ethical certifications, and a shirt and a bar of soap are chosen as high and low involvement product categories. Data is collected from 206 respondents for the experiment, in which consumers willingness to purchase a product is evaluated for different product scenarios. The results of the study indicate that individuals show highest willingness to purchase products (a shirt or a soap) when both certifications (no animal cruelty, no child labor) are present. However, in comparing individual certifications, individuals prefer no animal cruelty certification for a shirt and no child labor certification for a bar of soap. The study provides insights to practitioners regarding consumers present perception of ethical aspects in the product and directions to increase sales of ethical products in the Indian market.
... During the last decades, animal welfare has increasingly become a matter of social discourse and 46 subsequently also an economical factor. The evaluation of subsequently introduced new 47 legislative regulations and the introduction of product labels for animal friendly husbandry 48 conditions requires an objective assessment of the welfare implications of husbandry conditions 49 (Napolitano et al., 2010;Lusk, 2011). Current approaches in overall welfare assessment (OWA) 50 make use of objectively measurable benchmarks for animal welfare such as health and 51 productivity (Rushen & Passillé, 1992;Fraser, 1995), and the 'naturalness' of the environment 52 and animal behavior (Bracke & Hopster, 2006). ...
Animal welfare can be viewed as the result of integrating repeated affective evaluations of success in coping with environmental challenges, i.e., subjective challenge adequacy. The present work summarizes why established physiological and behavioral welfare parameters are inadequate to assess challenge adequacy. Behavioral tests based on the mood-congruent judgment effect and physiologic parameters based on components of the somatotropic axis are proposed as an alternative. Here, the judgment bias measures an animal’s subjective confidence to cope successfully with a challenge, which is in turn modulated by the animal’s previous experience. The somatotropic axis incorporates the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and its binding proteins (IGFBP), which are involved in the regulation of metabolism and growth. First results indicate that in particular IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 react with higher latency and higher inertness to short-term stressful events than established physiological stress parameters. Before these indicators can be utilized for overall welfare assessment, further validation studies are necessary that provide more insights into how repeatable the measurements are under different conditions and which other factors may confound the measures.
... Our results did not indicate that the Stracchino cheese had a poor eating quality (in blind conditions, both products received a mean score above the central point); rather, they showed that the information on milk type (i.e. the animal species producing the milk) might have an effect on consumer expectations. Generally, for food, including cheese, following a negative disconfirmation, the assimilation model occurs, and the actual liking (tasting the product while also receiving the information) moves in the direction of the expectations [26]. Although in the present experiment, the actual liking was not evaluated due to the lack of samples available. ...
The present study aims to characterize buffalo Stracchino cheese (BS) from a sensory point of view and verify how much consumers like it compared with the standard Stracchino cheese obtained from cow milk (CS). Nine panelists specifically trained to evaluate Stracchino cheese were used to conduct a quantitative descriptive sensory analysis, whereas 80 untrained consumers balanced for gender participated in the hedonic consumer test. Stracchino appearance was affected by milk type with higher intensities perceived for BS in terms of whiteness (P<0.0001) and shininess (P<0.001). As to taste and texture, BS showed higher sourness and oiliness intensities than CS, respectively (P<0.0001). Milk type did not affect the overall liking or the liking in terms of taste/flavor, texture, and appearance, but consumers rated both products at scores well above the neutral point. In addition, the liking expressed in blind conditions (i.e., without information on the milk type) was significantly lower as compared with the liking elicited by the expectations (i.e., based only on the information on the milk type) (P<0.05 and P<0.10, for CS and BS, respectively). We conclude that the good eating quality of buffalo Stracchino cheese as assessed by the consumer panel and the lack of differences between CS and BS in terms of a consumer may anticipate a possible good positioning of this novel product in the market of fresh cheese.
... Animal welfare and how food production animals are raised and managed are becoming more important to consumers and society in general (Napolitano et al., 2010;Spooner et al., 2014;Dunne and Siettou, 2020). This concern for animal welfare has led to widespread legislation regarding how animals are housed (Centner, 2010). ...
Beak treatment is an effective method of reducing the damage inflicted by severe feather pecking (SFP) but there is significant pressure to eliminate these treatments and rely solely on alternative strategies. Substantial variation in beak shape exists within non-beak treated layer flocks and beak shape appears to be heritable. There is the potential to use this pre-existing variation and genetically select for hens whose beak shapes are less apt to cause damage during SFP. To do this, we must first understand the range of phenotypes that exist for both the external beak shape and the bones that provide its structure. The objective of this study was to determine the variation in premaxillary (within the top beak) and dentary (within the bottom beak) bone morphology that exists in two non-beak treated pure White Leghorn layer lines using geometric morphometrics to analyze radiographs. Lateral head radiographs were taken of 825 hens and the premaxillary and dentary bones were landmarked. Landmark coordinates were standardized by Procrustes superimposition and the covariation was analyzed by principal components analysis and multivariate regression using Geomorph (an R package). Three principal components (PCs) explained 85% of total premaxillary bone shape variation and showed that the shape ranged from long and narrow with pointed bone tips to short and wide with more curved tips. Two PCs explained 81% of total dentary bone shape variation. PC1 described the dentary bone length and width and PC2 explained the angle between the bone tip and its articular process. For both bones, shape was significantly associated with bone size and differed significantly between the two lines. Bone size accounted for 42% of the total shape variation for both bones. Together, the results showed a range of phenotypic variation in premaxillary and dentary bone shape, which in turn may influence beak shape. These bone phenotypes will guide further quantitative genetic and behavioral analyses that will help identify which beaks shapes cause the least damage when birds engage in SFP.
... En la actualidad, la sensibilización del consumidor sobre las condiciones de producción animal constituye uno de los grandes retos de la ganadería, en especial de las explotaciones de vacuno de leche, cuyo principal objetivo ha sido incrementar su producción (EFSA, 2009). Según una encuesta realizada a un total de 27.672 ciudadanos de 28 estados miembros de la Comisión Europea, un 35 % pagarían hasta 5 % más del precio del producto, si se mejorasen las condiciones de la producción y bienestar animal (Napolitano et al., 2010;European Commission, 2016;Alonso et al., 2020). En España, también, se puede observar un aumento de la concienciación del consumidor sobre el bienestar animal (María, 2006;Alonso et al., 2020), lo que ha dado lugar a la búsqueda de herramientas o protocolos que permitan cuantificar el grado de bienestar, siendo muy diversos en vacuno lechero. ...
... However, products of animals with a more animal-friendly husbandry system usually come with a higher price associated to a lower stocking density, more feedstuff needed, more space needed, etc. (Bornett et al., 2003;Lusk and Norwood, 2011). Nonetheless, many consumers state that they are willing to pay a higher price for animal products produces under higher animal welfare standards (Vanhonacker and Verbeke, 2009;Napolitano et al., 2010;Nocella et al., 2010;Clark et al., 2017). Even so, there is still a gap between the attitude (i.e., concern for farm animal welfare) and the actual behavior (i.e., purchasing a product with higher animal welfare standards) (Te Velde et al., 2002;Vanhonacker et al., 2008;Vanhonacker and Verbeke, 2009). ...
As poultry production and consumption have increased in the last decade, so have consumers' concerns about intensified production methods and the impacts they have on animal welfare. At the same time, poultry consumption has increased and enjoys great popularity. Also, a shift in consumers' consumption behavior can be observed as nowadays most consumers purchase chicken cuts, especially breast filets, rather than whole animals, mostly due to convenience and taste. Although consumer concerns have increased, market shares of alternative poultry products, i.e., those that are produced under higher standards compared to conventional products, remain comparably low. One of the main reasons are the large differences in prices. The higher prices for alternative chicken products such as organic result partly from increased production costs on farm level. Besides, consumer preferences for chicken cuts intensify cost differences. While alternative chicken breasts (e.g., organically produced) might be valued by some consumers, other cuts such as wings or thighs are not and are therefore sent into the conventional market. In these cases, the breasts need to remunerate all additional costs. Analyzing consumers' concerns about production methods and learning about consumers' obstacles to buy whole chickens might offer farmers greater possibilities to succeed in alternative markets. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gain insights into consumers' chicken consumption behaviors, how consumers imagine an ideal chicken farm and whether they would be willing to purchase a whole chicken from this ideal farm. Three focus group discussions (total n = 30) with German consumers were held online in June 2020. The results show that participants associate the ideal chicken farm with four main characteristics: good husbandry system, positive economic impact for the farmer, high transparency, and proximate location of the farm in the same geographical region. However, willingness to purchase a whole chicken, even from the ideal farm, remains low due to mainly convenience reasons and daily routines.
... Specifically, ruminants have been identified as a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the removal of red meat from diets has been suggested as a mitigation of anthropogenic GHG option (Harwatt et al., 2017;Springmann et al., 2018). Consumers also have become increasingly more willing to buy animal products associated with husbandry practices that enhance animal well-being and welfare (Napolitano et al., 2010). Further, reductions in red meat and dairy products in human diets have been suggested to reduce negative postprandial health and collateral effects (Becerra-Tomás et al., 2016;Boada et al., 2016). ...
Pastoral livestock production systems are facing considerable societal pressure to reduce environmental impact, enhance animal welfare, and promote product integrity, while maintaining or increasing system profitability. Design theory is the conscious tailoring of a system for a specific or set of purposes. Then, animals-as biological systems nested in grazing environments-can be designed in order to achieve multi-faceted goals. We argue that phytochemical rich diets through dietary taxonomical diversity can be used as a design tool for both current animal product integrity and to develop future multipurpose animals. Through conscious choice, animals offered a diverse array of plants tailor a diet, which better meets their individual requirements for nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and prophylactics. Phytochemical rich diets with diverse arrangements of plant secondary compounds also reduce environmental impacts of grazing animals by manipulating the use of C and N, thereby reducing methane production and excretion of N. Subsequently functional dietary diversity (FDD), as opposed to dietary monotony, offers better nourishment, health benefits and hedonic value (positive reward increasing "liking" of feed), as well as the opportunity for individualism; and thereby eudaimonic well-being. Moreover, phytochemical rich diets with diverse arrangements of plant secondary compounds may translate in animal products with similar richness, enhancing consumer human health and well-being. Functional dietary diversity also allows us to design future animals. Dietary exposure begins in utero, continues through mothers' milk, and carries on in early-life experiences, influencing dietary preferences later in life. More specifically, in utero exposure to specific flavors cause epigenetic changes that alter morphological and physiological mechanisms that influence future "wanting," "liking" and learning of particular foods and foodscapes. In this context, we argue that in utero and early life exposure to designed flavors of future multifunctional foodscapes allow us to graze future ruminants with enhanced multiple ecosystem services. Collectively, the strategic use of FDD allows us to "create" animals and their products for immediate and future food, health, and wealth. Finally, implementing design theory provides a link between our thoughtscape (i.e., the use of FDD as design) to future landscapes, which provides a beneficial foodscape to the animals, an subsequently to us.
... As scientific research has unambiguously proven that animals have the ability to experience feelings, pain and suffering [9, 35, and 37], modern society as a whole is becoming more and more concerned with the wellbeing of farm animals [3,8] used for deriving various products as food, clothes, cosmetics, etc. These concerns find different expressions -from willingness to pay higher price for improved animal welfare [1,30], through buying organic and animal-friendly products [6,15], to choosing a vegan lifestyle without any animal-derived goods [23]. Scholars have found as well that the public attitudes towards animals are being determined by a complex of various motives including demographics, education, occupation, religious and health concerns [13, 14, and 41]. ...
Abstract
In the last decades the concern of animal welfare has
grown seriously among the consumers, thus changing
their preferences on the use of products as food,
clothes and other goods of animal origin. The aim
of this research was to establish the preferences of
native and foreign veterinary students in Bulgaria for
purchasing products of animal origin, influenced by
their perceptions on animal welfare strategy, animal
rights movement and vegan position.
An anonymous written questionnaire was distributed
among students at the two veterinary faculties
established in the country. The respondents who
took part in the survey were undergraduates from
both the Bulgarian (BG n = 131) and English-language
programme in veterinary medicine (EN n = 78),
distributed by gender (BG female 77.86%, male 22.14%;
EN female 62.34%, male 37.66%) and study year from the
first to the fifth course. Data obtained were statistically
processed (Statistica for Windows Software), subjected
to frequency distribution, correlation analysis and
t-test for independent variables. Values of p < 0.05
were considered significant.
Results showed that the majority of the respondents
fully supported the internationally regulated Animal
Welfare strategy - 97.71% of the Bulgarian and 100% of
the English-speaking students. Meanwhile 83.21% of
the native and 80.77% of the foreign undergraduates
were well informed and shared the view that animals
have rights to live free from human exploitation.
Opposing against all kinds of products of animal origin
appeared to be 17.56 % of the Bulgarian and 25.64% of
the English speaking respondents. The study found that
the professional knowledge influenced to some extent
the students preferences as consumers, as 32.82% of
the undergraduates in the Bulgarian programme and
24.37% in the English-language programme were
willing to buy products derived under high standards
of animal welfare, with another 13.74% of them (BG),
respectively 11.54% (EN) being ready to pay higher
prices for such animal-friendly products. Greater
concern on the wellbeing of production animals was
declared by 21.37% of the native and 10.26% of the
foreign veterinary students, who preferred to buy
products of animal origin under extensive breeding
systems and organic farming.
The survey showed that the welfare of non-human
animals was of a high concern both to the native
and foreign respondents. Regarding their awareness
on animal rights and main freedoms veterinary
undergraduates were willing to buy food and goods of
animal origin under high welfare production standards.
Key words: Animal rights, Veganism, Production animals,
Food from animal origin, Ethics.
... Breeding form: The levels of this attribute were chosen to test consumers' preference for (1) dual-purpose breeds, (2) breeding of the brother-rearing brothers of laying hens despite their low fattening performance, (3) organic products, which consumers usually associate with higher animal welfare standards and show a higher WTP for these [43][44][45][46], and (4) no information, which resembles the current market situation where basic information regarding the husbandry system (barn raised, free range, organic) is provided. ...
As ethical and environmental concerns regarding current poultry production systems arise, consumers look for alternatives. This study assesses consumers’ preferences for chicken meat of dual-purpose breeds (DPBs), regionally produced feedstuff, and specific breeds, along with attitudes and social norms that explain these preferences. We conducted an online survey (n = 934) including a discrete choice experiment and elements of the theory of planned behavior. Results show that after price, product and feedstuff origin are preferred by consumers, followed by breeding form and specific breed. Utilities for each attribute and level were calculated and consumer segments were created using latent class analysis. Three different consumer groups were identified: (1) price-sensitive consumers, (2) price-sensitive and origin-oriented consumers, and (3) origin-oriented consumers. We conclude that although consumers are interested in meat from DPBs, this attribute alone is not enough to influence the purchase decision, and geographical origin seems to be of crucial importance. However, by highlighting important attributes (i.e., animal welfare, regional/local production), DPB products could be introduced to the market. The consumption of these alternative products has economic implications, such as not relying on imports and promoting local production/consumption, along with social implications as refraining from killing day-old chicks.
Rabbit meat is an excellent source of high-quality proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, which can be further improved through various management, preslaughter, and post-slaughter interventions. Rabbit meat consumption is popular in certain regions of the world. The multidimensional role of rabbits as pet, pest, and laboratory animals, lack of proper knowledge among consumers towards the nutritive value of rabbit meat, animal welfare, and ethical issues, sustainable potential, undeveloped marketing, and processing chain, and price parity with available cheap meat and non-meat alternatives, are some constraints in the rabbit meat production. Increasing awareness of the nutritive value, positive health effects of rabbit meat consumption and production chain, development of processed meat products, and proper animal welfare compliance in rabbit production could improve consumer acceptance. The present manuscript reviewed various factors that affect the meat quality and consumer acceptance of rabbit meat for a more sustainable and viable source for global meat supply.
Purpose:
The use of multi-level labels can enhance product visibility by enabling labeling of various items. Moreover, it can better accommodate the diversity on both the producer and consumer sides. However, studies on the willingness to pay (WTP) for premium levels of those animal welfare labels are scarce.
Design/methodology/approach:
We investigate consumers’ WTP for a four-level animal husbandry label introduced to the market by German retailers in 2019 by conducting an online survey with 1,223 German meat consumers using Van Westendorp’s price sensitivity meter (PSM).
Findings:
There is a significant increase in WTP for level 3 of the husbandry label, but only a slight increase for level 4. One explanation is that consumers may have the mistaken belief that level 3 already includes outdoor access for animals. As a result of this expectation, consumers may not perceive much added value in level 4, which is reflected in their reluctance to pay a higher price. This is reinforced by the finding that once informed of the criteria, 18% of the participants reduced their WTP for level 3, whereas only 6% considered a discount for level 4. Furthermore, 40% were prepared to pay more for level 4 after being informed of the respective criteria than they had previously stated.
Originality/value:
To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to analyze and emphasize the importance of clear label communication, particularly for multi-level animal husbandry labels.
Purpose: This paper aims to comprehend the various factors that influence the audience's media consumption so that media firms may create content effectively. Design: Newspaper articles, academic journals, case studies, and online searches were the main sources of information used in this study. The study evaluates the postulates and variables that impact media consumption through focus group interactions. Findings: The study thoroughly reviews empirical concepts to examine the postulates influencing media consumption. The variables related to the study were perception, likes and preferences, awareness, local media services, and actions that affect media consumption, as determined by developing a conceptual model evaluation. Originality/value: While the conceptual model was being developed, the study discussed multiple variables that influence media consumption and, with the aid of several models and theories linked to media consumption, identified several postulates. Paper type: A literature review to create the conceptual framework.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different free-range systems on the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of geese. Grass pasture zones in the study area were selected, and 28 d-old male Yangzhou geese with similar body weights (1.57 ± 0.12 kg) were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: (A) free-range conditions in the apron area during 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (10–20 m from shed with grass pasture); (B) free-range conditions in the outer range from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (beyond 50 m from shed with grass pasture); and (C) barn system. Free range-reared geese had higher weight gain after 42 days of age than barn-reared geese, regardless of the range area. A lower feed conversion ratio was found in outer range-reared and apron area-reared geese from 28 to 63 days of age. In addition, the highest percentages of leg and breast muscle weights were observed in outer range-reared and apron area-reared geese, respectively. Finally, outer-range rearing resulted in a lower pH and lower moisture content. Therefore, these data suggest that the outer range system benefits growth performance and feed conversion ratio of geese and results in a higher percentage of leg muscle weight, lower pH, and lower moisture content.
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a framework model of belief consistency on the confirmatory bias theory, trying to explore the interactions between cues of credence-label structure and different controversial types of health foods, as well as the intermediary mechanism of belief consistency.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a conceptual framework of belief consistency based on confirmation bias theory. The interactions between cues of credence-label structure and different controversial types of health foods, as well as the intermediary mechanism of belief consistency.
Findings
Consumers’ willingness to purchase varies under interactions between cues of credence-label structure (product-level and ingredient-level credence-label cues) and different controversial types of health foods (noncontroversial health foods and controversial health foods). In the consumption context of noncontroversial health foods, the presence of product-level credence-label cues causes confirmation bias, greater perception of health belief consistency and higher willingness to purchase healthy foods. In the consumption context of controversial health foods, the presence of ingredient-level credence-label cues results in the prevention of confirmation bias, lower perception of unhealthy belief consistency and higher willingness to purchase health foods.
Originality/value
This paper offers a significant tool for researchers to enrich relevant theories in the field of the conceptual framework of cues of credence-label structure. It also discusses practical implications for enterprise marketing and for the health and welfare of consumers.
Small-medium dairy enterprises may verify the possibility to enhance their margins by shortening the supply chain. We propose a short sequence of marketing actions with the aim to support the inclusion of transformed goods into their productive process. These actions include the assessment of the main factors affecting consumer cheese purchase decision, evaluation of the validity of the association brand product, and identification of the preferred cheese format. Eighty-two consumers were selected. Their motives for purchasing pasta filata cheese were assessed using the food choice questionnaire. They were also asked to rate their preference for 4 different traditional pasta filata cheeses and 3 well-known local cheese brands. The frequency of consumption of 4 different Mozzarella cheese formats (standard Mozzarella, bite-size Mozzarella, cherries, knots or braids) was gathered. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the food choice questionnaire scores. Purchase intentions were subjected to ANOVA with 2 factors (brand and cheese) and their interaction. The frequencies of consumption of the 4 different Mozzarella formats was analyzed using the χ² test for independent samples. Based on our results, the communication around pasta filata cheese should focus on intrinsic characteristics such as healthiness and sensory properties, whereas standard Mozzarella with good nutritional and eating quality should be the most produced item and marketed if the associated brand product is well received by the consumers. By shortening the supply chain an increased economic and environmental sustainability can be expected.
To conduct their work, Human-Animal Studies scholars, practitioners, and activists need to understand how different nations treat animals. Although extant cross-national measures of the treatment of animals are helpful, they are quantitatively unsophisticated, narrow in focus, and nontransparent. This paper offers a sounder methodology for measuring how nations treat animals. Using polychoric factor analysis of nine indicators that capture the treatment of animals in 154 nations, this study creates three new Treatment-of-Animals measures: Political-Commitment, Animal-Use, and a Composite-Score (the average between the previous two measures). A construct validity test demonstrates that all three measures are valid. The study then reports how different nations and regions fare on each measure and discusses important trends that these outcomes reveal. The paper concludes by explaining how scholars, practitioners, and activists will benefit from these new Treatment-of-Animals variables, and it confronts some limitations with these measures.
b>The aim of the research was to estimate the effect of straw-based housing on selected quality attributes of pork, using a meta-analytical approach. Meta-analysis is statistical procedure that combines the results of individual, independent studies into one common treatment effect, called the effect size. Data were extracted from 17 independent studies (20 experiments) and analysed using a random-effect model to estimate the effect of straw-based housing on the pH (initial pH at 45 min post mortem and ultimate pH), drip loss, colour (L*, a*, b*) and Warner-Bratzler shear force of pork loins. The meta-analysis of the available results showed that pigs from straw-based systems may produce pork with a faster early post-mortem pH decline (pH45), higher drip loss, and greater lightness than those reared under barren conditions with concrete (slatted) floors. A subgroup analysis showed that greater space allowance for straw-housed pigs had a greater negative effect on initial pH (pH45), drip loss, and lightness than straw housing with normal/minimal floor space requirements.
Conscious consumerism is growing, along with consumer demand for socially conscious dairy products or dairy alternatives. To successfully position dairy products (especially conventional dairy) in this changing marketplace, dairy producers and processors must understand how to strategically use both on- and off-package messaging aligned with consumer perceptions. However, consumer perception of attributes such as sustainable, natural, and healthy is complex, and varies between product categories as well as among products within a category. The objective of this study was to characterize consumer definitions of the terms sustainable, natural, and healthy as they pertain to dried dairy ingredients. To meet this objective, we conducted an online survey with 3 maximum difference scaling exercises to determine the importance of 63 label claims to consumer definitions of the terms sustainable, natural, and healthy. The role of priming with dried ingredient processing information on consumer perception of these terms was also explored. Within the dried dairy ingredients category, there is extensive cognitive overlap between the terms sustainable, natural, and healthy. Priming did not affect consumer definitions of any of these terms. Certification-related claims were considered among the least important claims for consumer definitions of sustainable, natural, and healthy, whereas claims that were simple to read and visualize were considered among the most important. Claims related to animal welfare and happiness or simple, minimal ingredients and processing were considered by consumers to be important for all 3 terms. For each of these terms, there was a cluster of consumers who defined the term primarily by simple ingredients and minimal processing, and another cluster who defined the term primarily by happy cows and conscious farming practices. The terms sustainable and healthy each had a third, unique consumer cluster. This third definition cluster defined sustainability primarily by environmental effects, whereas this cluster defined healthy primarily in fitness and nutrition terms. Age and to a lesser extent, gender, affected importance placed on these 3 terms and also affected definition of the term. Understanding these consumer definitions provides insight on how to formulate marketing and educational messaging to speak to each consumer segment.
Beef demand has progressively decreased due to an increasing number of consumers who perceive beef as harmful to their health, among other causes. In contrast, functional foods are one of the fastest-growing markets. This study aims to analyse consumer preferences and estimates the willingness to pay for beef enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. We intend to identify and profile the potential market segments for functional beef and determine how the provision of information can affect consumer preferences. Data have been collected by applying a choice experiment on a sample of 757 Italian beef purchasers. The sample was randomly split into two information treatments plus a control group. Participants in the information treatments were given an explanation about the functional meat production system. Results showed that the average consumer has a preference for ω-3 enrichment and that information about the food's production process increases this preference. Therefore, the study reveals the existence of a potentially profitable market for functional beef.
Food industries are required to face both increasing demand from a growing population with social development and enhancement of its sustainability. Farm animal welfare has become an important aspect of sustainable business development, but is still an unfamiliar concept for consumers in Japan, although Japanese society is under pressure to catch up with global trends. Researchers have been working around the world to explore consumer behavior concerning animal welfare in markets, but few such studies have been performed in Japan. In this study, we explored factors influencing consumers’ intention to purchase animal welfare friendly beef products (AWFBP) in Japan, by considering them as food products purchased involving ethical decision-making and empathy for beef cattle and farmers. An online questionnaire was used to identify consumer characteristics and perceived attributes of AWFBP among 620 consumers in the three largest cities in Japan. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, we found that perception of attributes perceived behavioral controls, and empathy for beef cattle were likely to influence consumers’ intention to purchase AWFBP.
This paper considers the topic of animal welfare - usually associated with ethics and moral values, or with veterinary science and ethology - from the standpoint of economics and social choice. The economic value of farm animals to society is dominated by their productivity in food production, but their welfare can be perceived as having an independent element of value in itself. The paper sets out a simple model of the inherent conflict between animal welfare and livestock productivity - essentially a conflict between the animals' benefit and human benefit. The financial costs of improved animal welfare standards, most appropriately reflected in their effect on final food prices, are relatively insignificant; but placing a financial value on such improvements is problematical. Because animal welfare is evidently a 'public good' there is an obvious role for government policy in establishing and enforcing standards. The issue of how to define appropriate policy objectives in relation to welfare standards, and the various measures for pursuing those objectives, are discussed. Finally, the potential economic inconsistencies of domestic animal welfare policies in a food importing context are pointed out.
5th edition published 2015. See separate entry. The Preface of the 5th edition is shown here.
This book was conceived as an activity of the Network on Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture, an EU funded network of researchers from 13 countries, and most of the authors were drawn from the network. A problem identified by the authors is the diversity that occurs inevitablyin organic agriculture, as it must adapt to the local conditions. Because of this they have limited the scope of the book to organic farming in Europe. The 17 chapters cover: the principles and values of organic farming; a historical perspective of animals in agriculture; diversity in organic livestock systems; organic livestock standards; welfare and ethics; understanding animal behaviour in organic systems; applied ethology in improving welfare; mutilations (including dehorning, debeaking); assessing animal welfare; humans in managing organic herds; health and disease on organic farms; promoting health and welfare through planning; treatment of animals; grassland management and parasite control; feeding; breeding; and future challenges. In the appendix the objectives of the Network of Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture are listed with its main conclusions and recommendations on the development of standards and regulations, development of systems and training, and research needs.
Six dairy cattle farms (2 tie stall, 2 straw yard and 2 cubicle systems) were scored by trained assessors using the ANI Index and filmed to produce six 3.5 min videos. Each of them contained 4 clips: overall view of the barn, feeding, milking, individual animals. Ten untrained observers were instructed to provide qualitative assessment of farms using Free Choice Profiling (FCP). Data from FCP were subjected to Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA). GPA showed a significant consensus among observers (P<0.001). The 2 main dimensions of the consensus profile explained 39.5 and 26.8% of variation. Observers characterised the first dimension with terms ranging from constrictive to comfortable conditions and the second one in terms of cleanliness/dirtiness. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted using the scores of the farms on the first two dimensions of GPA and the data gathered through the ANI 35L scheme. The two main dimensions of PCA explained 91% of variation. The first dimension of GPA (unrestricted; 0.39), ANI’s sheet 1 (Locomotion; 0.42), sheet 2 (Social interaction; 0.42) and sheet 6 (Total score; 0.43) showed higher loadings on the first component of PCA, whereas the second dimension of GPA (clean; 0.61), sheet 3 (Flooring; 0.45) and sheet 4 (Stockmanship; 0.49) were more correlated with the second component of PCA. We concluded that qualitative assessment may be used to assess what untrained observers consider important for animal welfare thus providing a tool to study the relationships between consumer perception and scientific assessment of animal welfare.
The assessment and improvement of animal welfare are the tasks and joint responsibility of many stakeholders involved in the agro-food chain. This paper first looks at the supply side of the chain, and presents different stakeholder views on farm animal welfare, discussing the potential for market differentiation, communication and labelling related to farm animal welfare standards. From the demand side, the paper then examines the duality that exists between citizens' attitudes and consumer behaviour in relation to animal welfare and livestock products, and identifies distinct segments of citizens and consumers. Although the importance that citizens claim to attach to animal welfare seems relatively strong, consumers' interest in information about animal welfare is only moderate compared to other product attributes, and the market shares of products with a distinct animal welfare identity remain small. The paper concludes that while there seems to be substantial consensus between supply chain stakeholders, citizens and consumers about what is relevant for achieving an acceptable level of farm animal welfare, the differentiation and satisfaction potential of increased animal welfare per se as a stand-alone product attribute seems limited to particular niche market segments. It argues that improved farm animal welfare is more likely be realised and valued by consumers when it is integrated within a broader concept of quality, such as quality assurance or sustainability schemes
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This study examines the specificvalues held by consumers towards organic andconventionally produced meat, with particularreference to moral issues surrounding foodanimal production. A quota sample of 30 femalesfrom both a rural and an urban area of Scotland(UK), were interviewed. Overall, there was lowcommitment towards the purchase of organicmeats and little concern for ethical issues.Price and product appearance were the primarymeat selection criteria, the latter being usedas a predictor of eating quality. Manyattitude-behavior anomalies were identified,mainly as a result of respondents' cognitivedissonance and lack of understanding regardingmeat production criteria underpinning meatquality marks, e.g., Soil Association label.Responsibilities for ethical issues appeared tobe delegated by the consumer to the meatretailer or government. This raises issuesabout educating consumers and bringingconsumers closer to understanding meatproduction systems. A conceptual framework isproposed that illustrates the significance ofconsumer involvement in how meat-purchasingdecisions are approached in terms of theevaluation of tangible and or intangiblequality attributes. The results also point tothe need for further research into thoseaspects of quality that individuals tend toaddress at the level of the citizen (law),rather than at the point of purchase.
A panel of 123 consumers from Dijon and Nantes rated their liking for six orange juices (two pure juices, two juices made with concentrate and two nectars) in a blind condition, and then with information about the type of juice and packaging. Expectations induced by the information were also measured and the effect of this expectation on their evaluations were studied, as well as the role of the price on the purchase behaviour when the consumers were placed in a situation of choice under economical constraint. When discrepancy between blind rating and expectation was large, consumers generally moved their ratings towards expectation when they tasted a product in presence of information revealing an assimilation effect. We observed that even under the lowest economical constraint, consumers did not only choose their preferred product. The percentage of expenditure allocated to the first ranked product decreased as price increased and consumers partly transferred their choices to the second ranked product and even to the third ranked product.
The present study aimed to assess the effect of information about organic production on Pecorino cheese liking and consumer willingness to pay. Mean scores of perceived liking were similar for organic cheese (OC) and conventional cheese (CC). Expected liking scores were higher for OC than for CC (P<0.001). For OC the expected liking was significantly higher (P<0.001) than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (negative disconfirmation), whereas for CC the expected liking was significantly lower (P<0.001) than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (positive disconfirmation). Consumers assimilated their liking for OC in the direction of expectations, as the difference actual vs. perceived liking was significant (P<0.001). However the assimilation was not complete, as also the difference actual liking vs. expected liking was significant (P<0.001). Consumers showed a willingness to pay OC (mean+/-se=4.20+/-0.13 euro/100 g) higher than the local retail price for conventional (1.90 euro/100 g) and even organic cheese (3.00 euro/100 g). We conclude that the information about organic farming can be a major determinant of cheese liking and consumer willingness to pay, thus providing a potential tool for product differentiation, particularly for small scale and traditional farms.
Animal welfare is of increasing significance for European consumers and citizens. Previously, agricultural production focused mainly on supply, price and competition but consumers now expect their food to be produced and processed with greater respect for the welfare of the animals. Food quality is therefore determined by the welfare status of the animals from which it was produced as well as the nature and safety of the end product. Thus, practical welfare improvement strategies and reliable on-farm monitoring systems for assessing the animals' welfare status and evaluating potential risks are urgently required to accommodate societal concerns and market demands. It is also of paramount importance to define the kind of information that consumers want about the final products and to develop effective strategies for communicating welfare standards to the public. Generating an intensified dialogue with all factions of society on welfare issues as well as appropriate labelling of animal products and farming systems that offer guarantees about welfare issues and production conditions will, in turn, promote transparency and the societal sustainability of European agriculture. Welfare is multidimensional. It cannot be measured directly but only inferred from external parameters. Therefore, the integration of the most appropriate specialist expertise in Europe is essential to develop, refine, standardise and intercalibrate welfare monitoring systems and to identify and validate remedial measures. We must establish a European standard for welfare assessment systems in order to facilitate intra-European trade and marketing. Only then can we harmonise labelling that is informative and relevant to all European consumers.
This study aimed to verify whether consumers confirm their willingness to pay extra costs for higher animal welfare standards in a situation where a potential purchase performed by consumers, such as the Vickrey auction, is used. A 104-member consumer panel was asked to rate its willingness to pay (WTP) for plain and low-fat yogurts in 3 information conditions: tasting without information (blind WTP), information about animal welfare without tasting (expected WTP), tasting with information about animal welfare (actual WTP). Information was provided to the consumers under the form of labels indicating the level of animal cleanliness and freedom of movement (5-point scale, from poor to very good). Consumers were influenced by information about low standards of animal welfare (low cleanliness and low freedom of movement) and moved their willingness to pay in the direction of their expectations. However, the discrepancy between expectancy and actual WTP was not totally assimilated, indicating that WTP was also expressed in relation to other aspects (e.g., the sensory properties of the products). Conversely, the information concerning high standards of animal welfare (high cleanliness and high freedom of movement) was able to affect expectancy but had an effect on actual WTP only when the most acceptable yogurt was offered to the consumers. In the case of discordant information on animal welfare, partly indicating high levels of welfare (freedom of movements) and low levels of welfare (cleanliness), expected WTP was always lower than blind WTP. However, when the least acceptable product was presented, they completely assimilated their actual WTP to the expectations. Conversely, with the most acceptable yogurt, no assimilation occurred and sensory properties prevailed in orienting consumer WTP. Within each product, consumers expressed a higher WTP for products with labels indicating high welfare standards as compared with yogurts with labels reporting intermediate and low welfare standard. These results show that information about animal welfare, if given to the consumers, can be a major determinant of consumer WTP for animal-based food products. However, information about high standards of animal welfare should be paired with products presenting a good eating quality.
Research on consumer quality perception is reviewed using the Total Food Quality Model as a structuring device. The relationship between food safety and quality is addressed, and is discussed in the context of research on consumer risk perception. Quality and safety perception is linked to food choice and consumer demand, addressing questions of price perception and the validity of willingness-to-pay measurements. It is concluded that food quality and safety are central issues in today's food economics, though many research questions remain to be addressed. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
The European Union welfare standardsfor intensively kept pigs have steadilyincreased over the past few years and areproposed to continue in the future. It isimportant that the cost implications of thesechanges in welfare standards are assessed. Theaim of this study was to determine theprofitability of rearing pigs in a range ofhousing systems with different standards forpig welfare. Models were constructed tocalculate the cost of pig rearing (6–95 kg) in afully-slatted system (fulfilling minimum EUspace requirements, Directive 91630/EEC); apartly-slatted system; a high-welfare,straw-based system (complying with the UK-basedRoyal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals, Freedom Food standards) and afree-range system. The models were also used toassess the consequences of potential increasesin space allowance, and to estimate the cost ofrearing pigs under organic standards.
The cost of rearing pigs ranged from92.0 p/kg carcass weight (cw) and 94.6 p/kgcw forthe partly-slatted and fully-slatted systems,to 98.8 p/kgcw and 99.3 p/kgcw for the FreedomFood and free-range systems respectively. Whenspace allowance was increased by 60% to levelsin a recent proposal to revise pig welfareDirective (91/630/EEC), the rearing costs wereunchanged for the free-range system but rose by4.6 p/kgcw for the fully-slatted system. Rearingcosts under organic standards were 31% higherthan in the free-range system. These resultssuggest that improved pig welfare can beachieved with a modest increase in cost
At present, price premiums received for meatproduced under high welfare systems in the UKoffset the higher costs of production in thesesystems. To ensure profitability in the longterm, it is important that these premiums aremaintained.
While a majority of European consumers view meat production as normal practice and meat and meat products as tasty and nutritious food, there are growing minorities who do not. The main reasons are reviewed and their importance for meat demand and the objectives of scientists considered. The risk is identified that the potential market size for meat may be reduced by growing concerns about animal exploitation and meat's wholesomeness (no doubt intensified by biotechnological advances), so cancelling any advantage gained by industry through cost reduction and quality improvement.
The proportion of income spent on food has been in steady decline. Most people could readily pay more for food. Indeed, most consumers already pay more than necessary by buying specialized products or convenience foods. But there are costs associated with cheap food produced from animals that reach well beyond the dollars paid by citizens at the checkout register of a supermarket or fast-food restaurant. A morally significant effect of pressure for cheap food production has been modifications to production methods that may have effects on animal welfare (e.g., by decreased space allowances). Cheaper food for humans sometimes involves greater pain and suffering for food animals; however, improvements, possibly even major improvements, in welfare could be achieved with only small increases in price to the consumer. The obstacle to change is in part economic inertia; producers resist change because buyers expect low prices. Deployment of public subsidies and gradual change could avoid these short-term effects, although protection is needed against imports from countries with even lower welfare consideration and environmental standards. From the viewpoint of doing what is appropriate for animal welfare and the environment, free-market competition should no longer be the sole determinant of food prices. Animal scientists can serve the long-term interests of animal agriculture by combining efforts to do the right thing for the welfare of animals with more traditional goals, such as increasing production efficiency.
This paper compares consumer preferences for immunocastration versus surgical castration and no castration using willingness-to-pay estimates from a choice experiment. Results suggest that consumers place a higher value on pork from immunocastrated pigs than pork from surgically castrated pigs. In contrast, consumers reveal negative valuations of pork from intact boars as compared to pork from surgical castrates. We also show how a binary heteroskedastic logit model can be used to accommodate a larger variance for later choice sets within a choice experiment.
Concern for animal well-being is increasing in technologically advanced societies that practise a strong respect for human liberty and have available a broad selection of affordable food. The predominant philosophical position of animal welfarists is that the capacity of animals' sentience, rather than species-affiliation, should serve as the guiding principle for human treatment of animals. In several Western countries, serious pressure enforced by law has required animal agriculture industries to alter or discontinue some systems of production in an attempt to improve the well-being of farm animals.It is important that the admirable goal of improving animal well-being is achieved in a methodical way to prevent serious, far-reaching errors affecting farmers, farm animals and society at large. A necessary prerequisite for this goal is a reliable definition of characteristics that pertain to an animal's quality of life. In this paper, it is proposed that quality of life is positively correlated with satisfaction of animal needs, comprised of life-, health- and comfort-sustaining needs. An objective assessment of quality of life should encompass all three categories of needs. A realistic parameter proposed to serve this purpose is longevity.The prime responsibility for the well-being of farm animals should be assigned to the professional associations of producers. To be effective, such self-administered responsibility would necessitate legislation specifically designed for the purpose.
In this study, we use a non-hypothetical choice experiment to elicit Norwegian consumers' willingness to pay a price premium for organic and animal welfare-labelled salmon. A total of 115 Norwegian consumers were recruited for a choice experiment in which they had to choose between farmed salmon produced under three different production regimes. The salmon used in the experiment were conventional, organic, and Freedom Food salmon, certified by an animal welfare organization.In order to reveal consumers' true preferences for the products, a nonhypothetical choice experiment was carried out. The experiment consisted of 30 choice scenarios, where each scenario mimics a shopping situation with two alternative packages of salmon. The packages varied with respect to production method, colour, and price. Real economic incentives were imposed by letting each consumer randomly draw one out of 30 choice scenarios to be binding, and then executing the sale of the package that he or she had chosen under that scenario.Our results show that the average consumer preferred organic and Freedom Food salmon to the otherwise identical salmon from conventional salmon farms. Further, he or she was willing to pay a price premium of approximately 2euros per kg (15%) for organic and Freedom Food salmon, compared with conventional salmon of the same colour. Owing to feed restrictions, the organic salmon were much paler then the conventional and Freedom Food salmon, which resulted in a mean willingness to pay (WTP) for the pale organic salmon significantly below the mean WTP for conventional and Freedom Food salmon. Hence, it is very important for the success of organic salmon that the organic feed producers will be able to produce an organic feed with good pigmentation ability at an acceptable price.The results in this paper indicate that consumers are willing to pay to improve animal welfare and reduce undesirable environmental effects from fish farming. Consequently, eco-labelling of farmed seafood such as animal welfare-labelled salmon and organic certified salmon might become an important differentiation strategy in the future. However, it is also shown that the producers of alternatively labelled seafood products must consider the aesthetic properties of their products and that labelled products of inferior appearance are unlikely to achieve the necessary price premium. Finally, it is shown how real choice experiments can be used to elicit consumers' WTP for multiple product attributes including the colour of the fish, improved fish welfare, and environmental improvements.
Using the food-related lifestyle model as a conceptual framework, one possible trend each is discussed for the following four components of food-related lifestyle: quality aspects, ways of shopping, cooking methods, and purchase motives. These trends refer to the increasing use of extrinsic cues in quality perception, shopping fast and easy vs. shopping in specialized outlets, the role of convenience and meat avoidance in cooking, and the role of concerns about the meat production process in purchasing. Indicators for each of these trends are discussed.
The present study was aimed to assess the effect of information about organic production on beef liking and consumer willingness to pay. Mean scores of perceived liking were higher for organic beef (OB) as compared to conventional beef (CB). Expected liking scores were higher for OB than for CB. For OB the expected liking was significantly higher than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (negative disconfirmation), whereas for CB no difference was observed. Consumers completely assimilated their liking for OB in the direction of expectations. Consumers showed a willingness to pay for OB higher than the suggested price (P < 0.001), the latter corresponding to the local commercial value for organic beef. We conclude that the information about organic farming can be a major determinant of beef liking, thus providing a potential tool for meat differentiation to traditional farms.
Three studies were conducted to assess the effects of disconfirmed consumer expectations on food acceptability. In the first, disconfirmed expectations for the sensory attributes of an edible film had a negative effect on acceptability of the film. Greater disconfirmation resulted in lower acceptance and purchase intent. In the second study, written product information was used to establish three levels of expected acceptability and expected bitterness for a novel fruit beverage. Comparison of preexposure (expected) and postexposure (perceived) ratings of acceptability and bitterness supported an assimilation model of disconfirmation effects for conditions in which expectations of acceptability were high and expectations of bitterness were low. A contrast effect was observed for bitterness judgments when expectations of bitterness were high. Associative effects resulting from the expectation manipulation were observed on other sensory attributes. In the third study, expectations were manipulated to influence both direction (positive versus negative) and degree of disconfirmation for the acceptance of cola beverages. Results provided further support for an assimilation model of these effects.
The present study was aimed to study the effect of information about the welfare of Podolian cattle and their meat nutritional properties on beef acceptability for regular users and non-users of this particular beef meat. For both user groups, information induced a high expected liking. However, the information had a positive impact on the actual liking score when the product was tasted (an assimilation effect occurred) only for regular users. For these regular users the same level of expected liking and an assimilation effect were also observed in a second occasion. For the non-users, an information session where Podolian meat was tested after detailed information about production system and nutritional and sensory characteristics of this product was organised. After this training, the expected liking did not increase but the information had a positive effect on the actual liking score when the product was tasted (an assimilation effect occurred). Thus, information concerning animal welfare and nutrition may be used to differentiate meat in a mixed production system with competing industrialised and traditional farms.
The impact of animal welfare on the food chain is considerable. Firstly, an animal's welfare, its health status, level of stress prior to slaughter etc. has a direct impact on the quality of the product from that animal. The second impact is via citizens, whose strong commitment to animal welfare has led to increasing EU policy in the area. The third is by consumers concerned about the welfare quality of the products they buy. Although linked to food safety, this concern incorporates the whole area of animal welfare including the different criteria inherent in the concept of good animal welfare.
This paper presents the combined mid-term findings of the consumer research components of two EU Sixth Framework Programme integrated projects concerning meat, ProSafeBeef and Q-PorkChains. The consumer pillar of ProSafeBeef carried out eight focus group discussions in May 2008, in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. Q-PorkChains conducted a large-scale, web-based, consumer survey in January 2008 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Poland. The first project provides a set of qualitative data from a small cohort of focus groups and the second a set of quantitative data from a larger consumer sample. This paper draws together the main findings of both projects and provides a comprehensive overview of European citizens' and consumers' attitudes towards and preferences regarding beef and pork. In general, consumers consider meat to be a healthy and important component of the diet. Consumers support the development of technologies that can improve the health attributes of meat products and guarantee eating quality, but they have a negative view of what they see to be excessive manipulation and lack of naturalness in the production and processing of beef products. In the Q-PorkChains study consumer and citizen segments are identified and profiled. Consumer segments were built upon the frequency and variety of pork consumption. The citizen segments were built upon their attitudes towards pig production systems. Overall, the relationship between individuals' views as citizens and their behavior as consumers was found to be quite weak and did not appear to greatly or systematically influence meat-buying habits. Future studies in both projects will concentrate on consumers' acceptance of innovative meat product concepts and products, with the aim of boosting consumer trust and invigorating the European beef and pork industries.
Preference mapping identified different groups of consumers on the basis of their disconfirmations (occurring when the product is either better or worse than expected) and assimilations (occurring when actual liking [L] moves toward the expectations). The negative disconfirmation of a group of consumers (Group 1) was based on the information about animal welfare (the products were worse than expected because the information about animal welfare induced high expectations), whereas in Group 2 the sensory properties of the products prevailed in orienting consumer disconfirmation (products were worse than expected because the sensory properties of low-fat yogurt were disliked). The map of assimilation showed that consumers from Group 1 had higher assimilation for plain yogurt associated with high welfare standards as a consequence of the high discrepancy between blind and expected L for these products. A similar behavior was observed for Group 2 (higher discrepancy between blind and expected L corresponding to higher assimilation for low-fat yogurt paired with high welfare standards).
Consumers based their choices both on sensory properties (plain yogurts were preferred to low-fat yogurts) and on information about animal welfare (products associated with high welfare standards were preferred to the others). Preference mapping was able to identify groups of consumers behaving differently, as compared with the general trend, on the basis of their disconfirmations and assimilations.
Consumer willingness to pay reflected the hedonic behavior, thus validating the auction procedure for food liking evaluation purposes and providing a useful tool to obtain information about the real value (i.e., in monetary terms) consumers give to animal welfare.
Auction experiments were used to examine demand relationships and willingness to pay (WTP) for organic, rBST-free, no antibiotics
used, and conventional milk. Elasticities showed strong substitute and complement relationships between organic, rBST-free,
and no antibiotics varieties. The sum of the latter two’s premiums were not significantly different than the organic premium,
suggesting diminishing marginal utility for added attributes. Results from a two-stage heteroskedastic tobit model demonstrated
that WTP premiums for the varieties differ significantly by demographics and beliefs regarding the conventional version. These
suggest market segments for rBST-free and no antibiotics versions could succeed alongside organic, benefiting consumers and
producers.
The process by which man accepts or rejects food is of a multi-dimensional nature. In complex food matrices, it is not always
easy to establish relationships between the individual chemical stimuli concentration, physiological perception, and consumer
reaction. Consumers’ responses to food are not only based on the sensory characteristics of the product and on their physiological
status but they are also related to other factors, such as previous information acquired about the product, their past experience,
and their attitudes and beliefs. This paper discusses different methods to obtain information about consumer perceptions,
attitudes, beliefs, and expectations.
KeywordsConsumer Response-Perception-Attitudes-Expectations
Consumers’ quality perceptions are based on individual evaluative judgments. Meat is a food category where consumers’ quality perception is particularly difficult, among other things because meat is mostly sold unbranded. Through interviews with buyers of branded beef steaks, the study investigates how consumers employ brand information in combination with other quality cues to form quality expectations in the shop and how quality is experienced later when the product is ingested. Results show the brand to serve as a basis both for expected eating quality and for expected health quality. Despite the presence of a brand, the correspondence between expected and experienced quality remained moderate. Product familiarity seems to influence the quality perception process overall, with low familiarity consumers relying significantly more on the brand as a quality cue.
An increasing interest and concern among consumers in the ways in which food is produced has led to a need for differentiation in production methods in directions valued by consumers. In this study we used a choice experiment to analyse the importance of the production method, such as organic production and methods emphasising animal welfare or consumer health, and country of origin on the selection of broiler meat by Finnish consumers. The results revealed very strong positive perceptions of domestically produced broiler products. The effect of production method was significant but minor. Emphasising animal welfare in production particularly increased the probability