Food/Product Selection or Purchase Criteria

Consumers are largely isolated from the moral implications of their choices by numerous mechanisms that allow them to dissociate their use of animals from the suffering of animals. The literature review portion of this thesis examines the psychological and cultural constructs that present unique challenges to animal rights as a social movement. From that contextual backdrop, this thesis then evaluates consumer response to three major campaigns conducted by HSUS and PETA between 1980 and the present. The campaigns are vegetarianism and factory farming, the anti-fur movement, and the campaign against cosmetics testing on animals. While consumer response has been mixed, there are other outcomes from those campaigns that signal broader cultural changes. [Excepted from report]

Based on interviews conducted with board-level executives at more than 90 leading manufacturers, retailers, and food service companies from around the world, this report examines trends shaping the food and beverage industry today and discusses what those trends mean for the future of such businesses.

According to Mike Hutjens, dairy extension specialist at the University of Illinois, there are no nutritional differences in content, quality, or wholesomeness in milk from cows treated or not treated with rbST, or organic sourced milk.

A preview of the study "Health & Wellness 2008: The Purpose-Driven Consumer" showed that healthy convenience items are a high-growth food category. Additionally, consumer ideas of "freshness" are changing, and more people relate "local," "farm raised," and other "humane" terms to the concept.

A survey conducted by Health Canada found that Canadians want mandatory labeling of mercury in fish, however Health Canada believes that this mandatory labeling is not warranted and the agency is looking at other options.

Food recalls are having a significant impact on the food choices made by those in the U.S. More than half of consumers (57%) have stopped eating a particular food as the result of a recent recall, and 76% are currently more concerned about foods they eat than they were five years ago.

According to research by Ohio State University, the average shopper is willing to pay a premium for locally produced foods, largely because of guaranteed freshness and a preference for buying food produced by small farms over large, corporate operations.