More than two-thirds of US consumers buy meat based on claims
Nearly three in four beef-eating Americans can’t imagine giving up the taste of beef, and more and more are interested in beef with claims, according to new research from Midan Marketing.
Among the study’s top findings:
- 88% purchase at least some conventional beef
- 72% can’t imagine giving up the taste of beef
- 68% purchase beef with production claims at least some of the time
- 62% purchase premium beef
“Recent data from Mintel shows that 81% of American consumers eat beef,” said Bridget Wasser, associate director of customer insights at Midan. “We know that consumers are seeking out several attributes when shopping for beef, so we set out to determine which claims are most impactful. This data provides incredible insights to our industry partners and we’re excited to share our findings.”
The survey presented a nationally representative sample of US beef consumers with 28 different product attributes. Claims tested ranged from quality claims including USDA Prime or Choice grade, production claims like grass-fed or carbon neutral, and sourcing claims such as locally raised or product of the US.
“We weren’t surprised to find that price continues to be a major consideration for many shoppers when they buy beef,” Wasser said. “However, the sheer volume of data we collected means that we can tailor insights to any size retailer or processor, uncovering consumer expectations beyond price. We can validate current strategies or shed new light on which claims motivate a particular group of shoppers.”
Statistics
- Nearly 90% of consumers purchase beef with production claims or premium attributes.
- 68% purchase beef with claims at least some of the time.
(Midan Marketing)
- 63% of consumers like to know more about the who, what, where and how behind the food they buy.
- 34% said they were specifically looking for the claims versus availability.
(Power of Meat)
- Meat raised without antibiotics already represents 10% of sales.
- 44% of consumers said they would like to see more meat raised without added hormones.
(IRI)