Consumers are more concerned with their food than ever before, but what they think and say, and what they actually do doesn’t necessarily line up, as evidenced by consumer research into poultry purchasing decisions presented by Grady Bishop, senior director of global market access for Elanco, at the National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing and Live Production on September 26.
According to the Truth About Food Survey, conducted by Kynetec and sponsored by Elanco:
- 62 percent of respondents are very interested in food and nutrition
- 71 percent frequently discuss the topic with peers and family
- 80 percent look at labels or food claims
“People are as far from their food as they’ve ever been, but yet, emotionally more connected, perhaps, than they’ve been in the past,” he said.
The majority of consumers have a high level of concern about the chicken they purchase, especially as it relates to food safety, although freshness, price and taste remain the most important purchasing factors at the supermarket, according to Bishop.
Do consumers know what they want?
The data also show that consumers – often misinformed by social media – don’t always know what they’re talking about or do what they say when it comes to their poultry purchases.
Consumer spending data shows that growth for no antibiotics ever (NAE) and organic chicken saw double-digit percent growth from 2012 to 2016. However, the conventional chicken category saw greater growth in terms of the actual dollar amount over this same time, with volume growth of conventional chicken outpacing that of NAE and organic chicken.
According to Bishop, conventional chicken holds 89 percent greater sales over other niche chicken programs in the supermarket retail case and is 94 percent of the volume. He noted that current NAE production exceeds consumer demand for that type of chicken.
Grady Bishop speaks at the National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing, and Live Production. | Alyssa Conway
Research shows that just two out of five consumers (38 percent) say they purchase meat raised without antibiotics, and nearly 40 percent of consumers were unsure if they do or not. Consumers said they purchase meat raised without antibiotics because they believe that NAE products are healthier for them and promote better animal welfare, and they do not want to contribute to antimicrobial resistance.
Further, 61 percent of consumers believe that “no added hormones” means that there are no hormones at all in the meat they purchase, when in reality, all living things have naturally occurring hormones, Bishop said.
Communicating with consumers
With all the misinformation on the internet and different label claims, it is no surprise that consumers are confused about the poultry products they purchase.
According to Bishop, the conversation around food on social media focuses largely on poultry – but just 2 percent of social media conversation about antibiotics use is driven by the agriculture industry, leaving the other 98 percent to be driven by activist groups and others unfamiliar with the industry. This is why it is so important for poultry companies and consumer-facing brands to be part of the conversation with consumers and provide clear information.
“Consumers have changing expectations of companies that are representing their food brands,” Bishop said. “They expect transparency and hold [companies] accountable for things like antibiotic use.”
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