0
According to the information published by the MAPAMA in its Foreign News gazette, the results of the survey show that 82% of the German consumers would be willing to pay some more if they had the guarantee that the meat and the by-products that they intend to buy have been really produced following animal welfare criteria that exceed the standards established by the law.
Almost the same percentage (80%) of the participants in the survey told that they would pay a higher price for organic meat and by-products, whilst 78% would prioritise, when buying, the fulfilment of stricter environmental standards than those legally established.
Nevertheless, the analysts admit that the statements made by the Germans regarding their willingness to pay more or less higher prices do not always match the real behaviour of the consumers because, very probably, many of the survey respondents may have answered trying to match “what society wishes that people say”.
Nevertheless, the results of the survey allow their interpretation as a sign towards a change in awareness. So, according to the survey, when buying food, the survey respondents bear in mind, in the first and the second place, newness and the regional origin of the products, followed by the quality and the food being free of additives, whilst price places fifth in the ranking of the criteria borne in mind when doing the shopping. However, the analysts underline that regardless of the results shown above, it is evident that there are great differences depending on the income groups.
The survey reveals that the consumption habits oriented towards the reduction or even giving up meat consumption totally are increasingly better considered by society, the percentage of consumers that have decided not to eat meat never again having doubled, reaching 4%, but this ratio still being very low. The percentage of Germans that say that they eat very few meat (once a week or even less) has grown from 22% to 25%, and among the people that never or rarely consume this kind of product there are considerably more women than men, and more elderly people than youngsters.
Thursday, 11 May 2017/ MAPAMA-Foreign News/ Spain.
http://www.mapama.gob.es
