How do Poles choose the types of meat and cold cuts?

How do Poles choose the types of meat and cold cuts?

Do Polish consumers trust producers of meat and cold cuts? Is certified pork rated better than without it? How important for Poles is the origin of meat and cold cuts? – the authors of the extensive study entitled “What do consumers expect from producers of meat and cold cuts? conducted by Biostat on behalf of UPEMI

The study “What do consumers expect from producers of meat and cold cuts?” on behalf of the Union of Meat Industry Employers ( UPEMI ) it was conducted by the company Biostat. The most important conclusions from the study were presented during the conference “Meeting with quality” in December 2019.

As Bartosz Olcha , Senior Project Manager at Biostat said, the main goal of the study was to find out what the attitudes are and consumer preferences regarding the quality of cold cuts, beef, pork and poultry (chicken and turkey).

– We wanted to find out, inter alia, how consumers define/understand and perceive quality in the context of meat and cold cuts, what associations evoke particular product categories among consumers, and what characteristics of meat and cold cuts are preferred and which are perceived negatively – he adds.

Meat consumption in Poland – no reason to worry

Pork and poultry are meat consumed in Poland in the greatest quantity. The results of the study allow for forecasting by 2021-2022 a significant increase in the consumption of good-quality meat and cold cuts, a moderate increase in the consumption of poultry (chicken, turkey) and poultry cold cuts, stabilization at the current level of consumption of beef, pork, and beef and pork sausages.

The projected decline in the consumption of meat and cold cuts is about 5% of consumers annually. Beef producers will feel the most. However, the authors of the study did not inquire about the reverse transfer, ie the return of vegetarians to eating meat.

Meat quality, that is…?

According to Bartosz Olcha, the qualitative research revealed large problems among the respondents with defining what the quality of meat and cold cuts is.

– Consumers with the highest quality awareness base their choices on experience, habits and repeatability. They trust the producers. They exhibit the characteristics of loyal consumers. They choose proven manufacturers, the product is purchased from a trusted seller. They experiment little. Their focus is on the look, smell and price – based on their combination, they define quality. However, this is a specific group and not all observations concerning it have been confirmed by examining a representative population, he admits.