Belgian Meat Round Table focuses on consumer’s attitude towards meat
Kris Michiels, marketing adviser at VLAM, in his insight into the “Belgian’s attitude towards meat”, said that most Belgians remain carnivore, although there was a decline in meat consumption reported between 2008 and 2009, from 35 kilograms per capita to 29 kilograms per capita.
Home consumption of meat, poultry, and game reached 29 kilograms per capita in 2016. Furthermore, 60% of the Belgian meat consumers declared that they eat meat at least 4 times a week, and 25% said their intake of meat is on a daily basis.
Regarding the consumption of fish and fish products, 20% of the people questioned said that they eat fish once a week. Home fish consumption reached 6 kilograms per capita in 2016, the daily penetration of fish being situated at 11%.
Meat consumption influenced by the media
Filip Degreef, from the Vrije University of Brussels, made a brief presentation of the situation in the food industry regarding food quality and security since 1950. Mr. Degreef emphasized how consumers change their eating habits based on the messages that appear in the media.
When talking about different scandals that appeared in the food industry, Mr. Degreef observes that there is a lack of immediate reaction from the authorities or even lack of communication and disclosure and mixed messages tend to appear in the media, which promotes the idea of the vulnerability of the food system to consumers.
In the case of the fipronil egg scandal, Mr. Degreef observed "a huge inconsistency in the communication, which the consumers were receiving". In Mr. Degreef 's opinion this gives the consumers the impresion that there is a lack of professionalism in the food industry.
“Consumers have become wary of what type of information they're getting and where that information is coming from. And that is why for example the consumer organization is trusted because their perceived interest is that it's for the benefit of the consuemer. But if someone from the meat industry is saying something, the consumers know that those companies have an invested interest in this, they know that the meat industry wants you to buy more meat, so consumers consider that the information that they're giving them will always be positive towards meat and it will ignore the negative elements,” Mr. Degreef said.
After a food scandal, in Mr. Degreefs opinion, consumers tend to be preacutious and avoid buying the product that gained all the media atention during that scandal and this is a long term consequence that the meat industry faces.
“The precautionary principle is used in the scientific communities to test these products. But consumers are using the precautionary principle as in «if we are not sure it is ok, and if it is not in my benefit i'd rather not have it». Why would you as a consumer have this? This would be absolutely irrational,” said Mr. Degreef.
Half of the Belgian meat production goes abroad
Belgium is the 4th net exporter of pig meat in Europe and the 7th global exporter, according to Joris Coenen, manager at Belgian Meat Office. Half of the total production of pork in 2016, which reached 1.1 million tons in that year, was destined for exports and 88% of the export volume was delivered in the European Union's internal market.
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