Meat, Dairy, Egg Consumption

This in-depth study of adult consumers concerning "ethically produced" foods finds that "ethical" is a broad term for consumers and includes environmental protection, high quality and safety standards, and animal welfare. More than a third of respondents said that "cage-free" and "free-range" are important to them, while 21% and 14% said "vegetarian" and "vegan" are important to them, respectively.

According to the 5th annual Power of Meat research presented during the 2010 Annual Meat Conference, purchases of meat and poultry at the retail level have begun to normalize, at least in part due to a decline in frequency of eating out.

Researchers observed consumer reactions to pig and poultry production systems in this study designed to determine how to encourage consumers to buy more British food products.

According to market research firm Mintel, the recession continues to affect consumer purchases of meat and poultry products; half of consumers say they are purchasing less expensive cuts of meat, while others buy premium types of meat due to less frequent dining out.

The perception of food-related illnesses can be a major problem for food manufacturers and suppliers, resulting in a backlash against consuming a product after a bad experience. In this survey, 69% of those who attribute an illness to a food item think they know what made them sick. Approximately one-fifth of all consumers are extremely or very concerned that fresh foods (including meat products) are safe to eat.

This data system provides information on "food availability," or the per capita amount of food in the U.S. food marketing system available for consumption. Based on data related to imports and exports of various foods, and farm and industrial uses, this system approximates what those in the U.S. consume, on average, including all food from grocery stores, restaurants, cafeterias, and other eating places.

A report commissioned by the U.S. beef and pork checkoff funds found no association between cancer and the consumption of red and processed meats. This report discusses epidemiological science and summarizes current studies on this link, based on a review by consulting firm Exponent.

According to this report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world would need to double its supply of meat by the year 2050 to meet growing demand; the global farmed animal sector currently produces 228 million metric tons (mmt) of meat.

This study assessed the effect of information about organic production on consumer preferences and willingness to pay, finding that the "perceived liking" of organic beef was higher than that for conventional beef.

In late 2008, the Dutch Vegetarian Association studied the environmental consequences of substituting vegetable proteins for animal proteins in the Dutch diet. By looking at both the product and menu levels of consumer diets, the environmental burdens of both types of products were analyzed and researchers concluded that ecological impacts of both animal and vegetable protein sources can vary significantly.