44F-16 |
Consumer preferred attribute profiles of a fresh ground beef and turkey product |
W. PRINYAWIWATKUL1, A. R. Schupp2, J. Gillespie2, and C. O'Neil3. (1) Department of Food Science, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200, (2) Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200, (3) School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200 Regular ground beef (hamburger) has been a popular meat in the U.S. Its high fat and cholesterol contents, however, have encouraged many health-conscious consumers to turn to alternative, lower fat meats. Many new processed meat products are introduced into the market annually; some of which combine two or more species of meats. Rare, however, are fresh ground meat products having two or more meat species. Fresh mixed ground beef and turkey (without skin) has not been sold commercially. This study was conducted to identify important attributes of the fresh ground beef and turkey (FGBT) product and to determine relative importance of these attributes to the purchase decision. Discussions with retailers and focus-group consumers suggested 4 product attributes: form (fresh or frozen), identity of packager (retailer or processor), % ground beef (50%, 70%, 90%), and price of FGBT (80%, 90% or 100% of regular ground beef price). Based on fractional factorial design, 9 of 36 possible attribute profiles were selected. A conjoint survey was sent to 3,400 Louisiana households. Consumers rated their preferences of 9 hypothetical profiles using a 10-point scale (0=the least preferred and 10=the most preferred). 309 responses were usable. 16% of responding consumers had or were currently mixing ground beef and turkey for various uses. Three (%ground beef, form, and price) of the 6 variables used in the conjoint analysis were significant. The relative importance (part worths expressed as %) of the attributes are %ground beef (40.5%), form (31.8%), price of FGBT (26.9%), and identity of packager (0.8%). The highest rated profile among the 9 (mean score of 6.83) was fresh form, processor packaged, 90%ground beef, and priced at 90% of regular ground beef. The study identifies the important attributes of FGBT that retailers and/or processors should consider when introducing the product in the marketplace.
Session 44F, Product Development
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