BANFF, Alta. — A 2012 retail meat study showed among the major grocers in Canada, Costco was the only one to see growth in sales.
About 40 percent of consumers said they shopped regularly at Costco for food and meat, up 11 percent since a 2010 survey.
One-third of consumers surveyed said they go to Costco for the meat. The strongest support came from the West.
“There were quite a number of Costco stores that opened in that period, but still, that is significant growth,” said Theresa Dietrich, a private consultant who conducts Canadian consumer studies.
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People said there was good variety, ample choice, better quality and the meat seemed fresher, said Dietrich at the Canadian Meat Council annual meeting in Banff, May 29-30.
More Canadians also buy based on price, looking for meat discounts. They are also looking for meals like casseroles and pasta.
Chicken remains the most popular choice because people think it’s more nutritious and cheaper than red meats like beef, pork, lamb and bison. Consumers also said they were eating more fish.
When asked how they rate the nutrition of meat on a scale of one being the lowest to 10 , chicken rated 9.1, fish rated 8.4 and beef, pork, lamb and bison rated between six and seven out of 10.
When asked if they would buy meats with attributes like organic, free range or free of artificial hormones, many consumers said they were interested until they learned it would cost more.
“About six percent of the consumer buyer base say they are prepared to pay a 35 percent premium for organic, certified beef,” Dietrich said.
Hormone and antibiotic-free beef would probably carry prices 25 percent higher and 24 percent of those surveyed said they would buy it.
“We see the consumers who purchase lamb and bison appear to be more interested in these value-added claims and a large percentage of them would be willing to pay a premium. That is possibly because these meats are already seen by the consumers as being raised on smaller farms and somewhat more natural than beef or pork,” she said.
“Those consumers who were willing to pay this premium really spanned all socio-economic and demographic groups.”
There were no distinguishing trends among those willing to pay for premium products, although female shoppers were most often willing to pay more except for products labelled certified humane or grass fed. Organic products appealed more to young people.
“Those with higher education were also willing to pay a higher premium than those with less education,” she said.
Country of origin was an important factor where nearly 80 percent said they want domestic, while the remainder said they did not care as much as long as the meat passed Canadian inspection standards.
The main reason for buying local was to support the Canadian economy and farmers. Second, they believe Canadian standards for grading and inspection are higher and third, they believe Canadian is fresher than imported meat.
Dietrich also provided the five top consumer trends that will influence meat in North America.
- Health and wellness are the top trend. People of all ages say they are concerned about their health and diet.
- Sensory and indulgence apply to people who are looking for quality and variety.
- Sustainability and ethics around the environment and animal welfare are growing.
- Technology has created a connected society where people are linked around the world. They want more transparency from companies and government and they use the internet to check them out.
- Easy and affordable is important.
