Food/Product Selection or Purchase Criteria

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.

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 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.

This study, funded by the U.S. beef and pork checkoff programs, concludes that epidemiological studies finding a link between cancer and consumption of red meat (and/or processed meat) "is not supportive" of a causal relationship.

Research by Pfizer Animal Health provides insight into consumer attitudes about pork products and how pigs are raised. This survey found that most consumers do not have a good understanding of how farm animals are raised, particularly with respect to sick or at-risk animals.

The world's largest food service company, Compass Group, announced the launch of their "Flexitarian" eating campaign, developed jointly with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The campaign promotes incorporating healthier, more sustainable, and more humane eating in the group's 8,500 U.S. corporate and academic food service cafeterias across the country.

A 2009 survey conducted by the Vancouver Humane Society found that nearly three-fourths of Canadians are willing to pay more for humanely produced food. Moreover, 63% of Canadians said they would support a legislative ban on battery cages used to confine hens.