SA red meat consumers want a ‘special eating experience’

By Annelie Coleman | 30 October 2024 | 5:00 am

It is essential for South African livestock producers to recognise that the consumer is king and that the new generation of red meat buyers have very specific demands. This was according to Prof Arno Hugo, professor in Animal Science in Meat Science at the University of the Free State.

Speaking at the LRF Stockman School at Aldam near Ventersburg in the Free State, Hugo said modern red meat consumers insisted on a special eating experience and preferred the best quality possible. Their buying patterns were not driven as much by price as by the excellence of the product they intend to buy.

“The modern consumer is increasingly driven by the ethical worth of meat products and wants to be informed about animal welfare and the impact on the environment in the production thereof. However, meat quality is complex and cannot be ascribed to a single attribute.

The so-called ‘smart meats’ on the market, which include products derived from grass-fed animals and free-range and organic production methods, are perceived by the consumer as ethically more acceptable and having a lower impact on the environment,” Hugo explained.

In the consumer’s perspective these products are free of antibiotics, growth stimulants and synthetic anti-parasitic compounds. They believe that the products taste better and have a higher nutritional value than conventionally produced meat products.

Buyers are also discerning when it comes to the colour of the meat they buy, preferring bright, cherry-red cuts.

According to Hugo, consumers favour white fat. He said consumer needed to be educated on the fact that yellow fat derived its colour from higher carotene levels, which typically occurred in organically produced meat and grass-fed animals.

However, tenderness remains on top of the consumer’s list and is the number one determinant of repurchase, according to Hugo. He advised the red meat production sector to step up efforts to educate the buyers of their products about the nutritional value of red meat.