Quality beef desired by consumers

Beef is graded on the basis of those characteristics that provide the best indication of its relative desirability to the consumer. Consumers desire the following qualities in beef:
Palatability. Palatability is influenced by the tenderness, juiciness and flavor of the fat and lean.

Attractiveness. The color of the lean, the degree of fatness and the marbling are leading factors in determining buyer appeal.

Moderate amount of fat. Fat finish and marbling were considered indicative to better eating quality. These factors affect the juiciness.

Tenderness. Consumers want fine grained, tender beef in contrast to coarse-grained, less tender meat. Pasture-fed beef is generally les tender and less desirable to consumers than beef from concentrate-finished cattle.

Pasture finishing cattle typically takes longer period of time and therefore results in greater age of the animal harvest which leads to decreased tenderness.

Small cuts

Repeatability. Housewife wants a cut of beef just like the one that she purchased last time, which calls for repeatability.

Ease of preparation.

Consumers who preferred Choice beef did so because of its advantages in palatability while those who preferred Select beef did so because of its advantages in leanness.

Higher quality beef products are desired in the hotel-restaurant and retail markets. Fast-food industry firms on the other hand, purchase lower quality beef products.
Quality beef desired by consumers

Consumer Perceptions of Meat Quality

Consumer Perceptions of Meat Quality
Sensory studies are frequently used to evaluate the quality of mea t and meat products. According to these studies, preferences for meat seem to be strongly affected by color/appearance and texture, and to a lesser extent by changes in flavour.

Texture may be understood with juiciness and tenderness as different dimensions of textural quality.

Flavor may be regarded as consisting of taste and smell. However, eating or sensory quality is only one dimension of consumer perceived quality.

Many consumer surveys in countries clearly demonstrate that consumers not only care about eating quality but also other quality attributes such as product safety, animal welfare, ecological production methods, or the presence of residues or additives such as hormones or antibiotics used in animal production.

There are two main approaches to investigating and modeling consumer behavior: the consumer studies/marketing approach and the microeconomic approach.

In the former, several models are available that seek to capture different aspects of consumer attitudes and behavior.

This approach regards the perception of quality linked to the personal goals and ends of each consumer. The means-end chain theory is a good example of this approach.

Consumers are assumed to choose products because they believe that’s specific attributes of the products can help them achieve desired ends.
Consumer Perceptions of Meat Quality