However, increasing consumer interest in healthier and more sustainable meat products provides red meat producers with the opportunity to differentiate through 'ecolabels', origin and health claims.That's just one of the findings from NSA-supported iSAGE work (see panel) that looked at people's perceptions of red meat and why they do - or don't -consume it. It also identified barriers to red meat consumption and ways to remove them.Responses on lamb, beef and goat were collected from 2,900 people in Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK. Specific work on sheep meat consumption showed consumers associated sheep meat with a unique taste, authenticity and natural production, linked with values such as sheep health and quality of life. In contrast, non-consumers are 'put off when they think about sheep and sheep meat and do not associate any specific health benefits to it.
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