Image of red meat undergoing a 'major positive change', AHDB Pork says

The image of red meat has been undergoing a major positive change
The image of red meat has been undergoing a major positive change

The image of red meat has been undergoing a major positive change, AHDB Pork has said in a recent analysis of the meat market.

Consumers are seeing it more and more as "full of flavour, easy to cook and suitable for any day of the week."

Although poultry wins for practicality in the consumer’s eye, there is one notable point where it falls down.

Only 35% of respondents considered poultry full of flavour, while beef and lamb scored higher with 52% and 46% respectively.

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Graph

For pork, there have already been some shifts in perception. These results show a 4-5% increase in the amount of people who think pork is easy to cook and suitable for any day of the week, compared to the last survey.

These shifts should be monitored as the survey continues, to see if they become trends, AHDB Pork said.

However, it is not universal good news, as consumers are much less likely to agree that beef, lamb, or pork is good for you, compared to fish and poultry.

Negative media coverage can influence these perceptions, AHDB Pork mentioned.

Consumer awareness of red meat coverage peaked at 31% in January 2016, following a WHO report published in October, which generated significant negative publicity for red meat.

This was double the 15% awareness in the previous wave, but still fell short of April 2013, when awareness was at 50% following Horsegate.

As consumers’ busy lives leave them searching for quick and easy meal inspiration, poultry’s easy and versatile image has kept it popular.