WHICH ARE THE SIGNS OF A TENDER AND TASTY BEEF? ANALYSIS OF BEEF S ATTRIBUTES THAT, AT THE MOMENT OF PURCHASE, SIGNAL BENEFITS MOST DESIRED BY CONSUMER

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this article is to analyze how consumers use meat attributes to evaluate different alternatives, as clues that form expectations about beef benefits and quality. Method: A survey was conducted using an online questionnaire sent to a database of 14,795 potential respondents from Brazil, resulting in 499 valid responses coming from all different regions. Data analysis focused the interdependence between attributes and the most important benefits by means of Pearson's correlations. Multiple linear regressions were also performed, considering each attribute as an independent variable and the benefits as dependent ones in order to assess the degree to which each attribute signals a particular benefit to the consumer. Originality/Relevance: The research intended to go beyond the isolate attributes and benefits ranking, studying relations between the two variables. The intent was to look for empirical evidence of the theoretical relationship between the perceived valued attributes and the expected benefits. Results: The results showed that average consumer perception of beef quality is very concentrated on basic aspects such as color, aroma, expiration date, date of manufacture, inspection's label. More elaborate features, such as marbling and branding, are seldom cues for quality. Flavor and softness, considered the most desired benefits, have no correlation with each other, which indicates that the consumer is not willing to give up either. The results suggest that pleasure derived from consumption prevails over concerns about health or the environment as most desired benefit. Theoretical/Methodological Contributions: Results suggest that the attributes evoked by consumers before beef purchase do not always present a high predictive value on experienced quality, which may cause consumer dissatisfaction.