Meat quality, brands and consumer trends

Abstract

During the past 20 years the consumption of meat around the world have increased considerably and the increasing world population with the projections of a continuous growth until at least 2050 reaching the 9.7 billion in 2050 (United Nations 2017) needs more nutritious protein supply and consequently an increasing demand of meat and meat products. The biggest challenge in the near future for the meat industry is facing how to produce meat in an adequate sustainable way and answer the modern consumer requirements. The events at the beginning of the century, related to animal health (foot-and-mouth disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, avian influenza) and, more recently the indications from the World Health Organization on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat (WHO 2015), were a milestone in a new paradigm for meat and meat products. Relations between the various actors of meat industry have changed, food security concerns have increased, meat markets have become more complex, changing the relationships between demand and supply, influencing dramatically the consumption and prices. Nowadays, in meat consumption trends are increasingly influenced by consumer perceptions of the quality and safety of meat and meat products.