Search results

The livestock sector contributes significantly to the Brazilian economy, but also creates many environmental and social issues. To mitigate these problems and help counteract the effects of the growing production demand, it is essential to address the prevention of food loss and waste (FLW). Therefore, the aim of the present study is to identify the causes of FLW, model their interrelationships and determine their root causes for the Brazilian beef supply chain (SC).

16 causes are analysed using an integrated interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and matrix impact of cross-multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) methodology. ISM identified interrelationships among the causes and MICMAC determined the root causes of FLW.

The ISM highlights the “Lack of transportation infrastructures”, “Inadequate handling”, “Poor operational performance”, “Variety of products available in supermarkets” and “Unhealthy animals and outbreaks of disease” as the most influential causes and the MICMAC classifies them as the root causes of FLW in the Brazilian beef SC.

The results provide fundamental insights for researchers, practitioners and policymakers, by exploring which causes are more influential and which are the root causes, thereby assisting the SC members in the definition of suitable strategies to mitigate FLW.

This is the first empirical analysis of the interdependencies between the causes of FLW in the beef SC.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate if sudden retail price increases for beef products have affected consumers purchasing behaviors. Little research has been conducted that integrates retail price volatility with subdued food consumption motivations. Prior research about consumers’ meat-purchasing habits and systemic concerns linked to sustainability and animal welfare is limited or de-contextualized. This study also attempts to assess if retail price increases have triggered a change in perception of the meat industry, by looking at specific values related to animal protein production and consumption.

This study is based on an inductive, quantitative analysis of primary data obtained from a survey on beef consumption. For convenience and validity, all respondents had to be living in Canada for 12 months, and were at least 18 years old. The choice of country is not trivial. First, access to data were convenient for this study. Second, and most importantly, Canada has supply managed commodities that include poultry and chicken. In effect, Canada produces the amount of chicken it needs. Beef production is vulnerable to market volatility. As a result, demand-focussed market conditions for one often influence conditions for the other.

Findings indicate that higher prices have compelled 37.9 percent of the sample to reduce or to stop beef consumption altogether in the last 12 months. Beyond the issue of price, sustainability, food safety and health appear to be significant factors, more so than ethics (animal welfare). Results also show that education can be considered as a determinant for sustainable aspects of beef production when prices increase. Age and gender had no statistical significance on survey results. Some limitations are presented and future research paths are suggested.

Since the sample in this study was mainly composed of consumers based in Canada, the generalizations of the findings should be approached with some caution. The same research should be conducted with consumers from other parts of the Western world to verify if the results can be generalized.

This survey help the authors to understand some aspects of beef consumption at retail. Findings of this empirical study have implications for future communications to consumers, in that greater emphasis should be given to the connection consumers have with other nutritional alternatives. Since meat consumption in the Western world is intrinsically linked to culinary traditions, behaviors can be challenging to change.

The economic implications of a rapid adoption of a plant-based diet for the agricultural economy would be significant. However, the reality is that according to many studies of consumer behavior, customers still place a higher value on buying and eating meat than on any other food group. Canada’s relationship with animal proteins has deep cultural roots, particularly during holidays and summertime.

The present study has given important insights into the determinants of meat consumption reduction, a behavior which could both have long-term economic implications for the cattle and beef industries. This paper provides a deeper insight into some socio-economic factors that contribute to slow erosion of meat consumption reduction, and the effects of higher prices at retail. This is, as far as the authors know, likely the first study of its kind.

US Premium Beef Ltd is a cooperative partnership between all segments of the beef industry value chain, affording each segment an interest in the key stages of beef production and processing, as well as an equal share of the financial risks and rewards. This “value‐added” strategy is accomplished through vertical integration and adding a quality‐based pricing structure to more closely link beef producers and consumers. The case study is an example of supply chain management as a strategic response to a mature industry. It also exemplifies how ownership structure of the firm, particularly the emergence of new‐generation cooperatives, is employed as a strategic factor in developing a new competitive approach in an industry characterized by sales decline and aggressive competition from substitute products such as poultry and pork.

Canada, together with other developed countries, faces an increasingly sophisticated consumer in an increasingly differentiated and competitive marketplace. Over the last two decades, the Canadian beef industry has suffered from a decline in per capita beef consumption. One of the contributing factors to this is inadequate coordination of the beef supply chain to meet consumers’ changing tastes and preferences. This study focuses on the perspective of cow‐calf producers on the need for greater coordination and their attitudes towards industry coordination. The study found this group of participants to be broadly aware of the need to develop both a more coordinated beef industry and mechanisms that encourage them to be more consumer‐responsive.

Presents a study of the procurement of beef by UK supermarkets. Investigates the hypothesis that a retailer’s choice of beef supplier is influenced by the transaction costs incurred in different supply relationships. Measures the relative importance of the transaction costs incurred by retailers as a result of concerns over quality consistency, traceability and farm animal welfare using conjoint analysis. Data for the conjoint analysis were collected through a postal survey of UK supermarket retailers. From the results, suggests that the information and monitoring costs arising from the need to ensure that beef supplies are of a consistent quality are relatively important influences on the choice of supplier, followed by the traceability of cattle, whether the beef originates from a farm assurance scheme and the price paid by the retailer. Also analyses procurement preferences of individual respondents, revealing some interesting differences between the retailers. Concludes that strategic alliance partnerships between retailers, processors and marketing groups composed of farmers may emerge as the method of vertical co‐ordination which minimizes transaction costs.

For supermarkets in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the strategic importance of own label or retail brands is crucial, with sales of fresh beef almost exclusively sold under the retail brand. Given safety and quality issues, this study seeks to understand pre‐pack consumers' perceptions of risk associated with beef in the Republic of Ireland.

Building on previous qualitative research, and using a survey methodology and adopting a perceived risk theoretical framework, face‐to‐face interviews with purchasers of pre‐pack beef from supermarkets were conducted in Cork, Waterford and Limerick.

The results confirm that for these particular beef purchasers, food safety and health issues are still the main concerns. However, perceptions of risk are reduced through loyalty to supermarkets, confirming that the investment by retailers in supply chain policies and strategies has paid off in terms of reducing customers' perceptions of risk associated with food safety.

One limitation of the research is that perceptions of risk and coping strategies are specific to the product category; therefore, results cannot be generalised to other categories.

The findings demonstrate that a more focussed approach to marketing beef could include strategies based upon understanding particular aspects of perceived risk.

A deeper understanding of consumers' risk perceptions and risk reducing strategies is necessary as consumers' perceptions of risk can both respond to and influence the strategies adopted at both firm and industry level. In particular, an understanding of perceived risk is particularly necessary for retailers following an own brand strategy in general.

Local origin of meat acts as a key quality indicator for consumers. How an ideal local meat production should look like is rather unknown. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively analyse how an ideal local beef production should be constituted.

432 consumers from a North Italian province (South Tyrol) were questioned online about their views regarding (local) beef production. 12 attributes, from calf rearing to transport times, were presented with different options. Participants selected the most ideal options from their perspective. Further, willingness to pay for local beef and for the ideally produced local beef as well as the importance of local production for different food categories were assessed.

The results are quite heterogeneous but show that local production is especially of importance for eggs, dairy products and beef. Traceability to the farms, daily access to a paddock and access to pasture during summer, silage-free feeding, low transport times and suckler cow husbandry are aspects that are mostly selected as ideal. A price premium of 35% for locally produced beef and up to 50% for this ideal production seems reasonable for most consumers.

The study only includes South Tyrolean consumers and thus the validity is limited to this area. Although transferability to other regions can be assumed, future studies are necessary to confirm this assumption.

This is the first study analysing consumers expectations towards local beef production considering several production levels.

The Chinese government has increasingly turned to industry policy as a means of promoting rural development. These industry policies have not necessarily led to an improvement in rural incomes nor to the achievement of other social and environmental goals. This paper examines ways of designing these policies to achieve better rural development outcomes.

The approach adopts a detailed micro‐level analysis of industry policy through the window of the cattle and beef industries. Intensive fieldwork and interviews are conducted with all segments of and participants in the industry in all major beef production and consumption regions. A series of normative analyses examines issues of integration, scale of development, regionalism and specialisation.

Industry policy is a powerful mechanism by which to influence regional and rural development. Improving development outcomes requires that central and local government goals converge and that regions in inland China are well integrated with other regions and sectors of the economy. Large‐scale development projects must be carefully designed to avoid displacing individual households from industry development.

By crossing institutional, geographic and industry segment lines in a comprehensive manner, the research will aid Chinese decision makers concerned with rural development in the design of their industry development policies.

A highly‐fragmented UK beef industry today faces large, powerful retailers, potentially giving rise to mistrust and lack of common purpose. Consumer confidence in beef has been undermined by BSE and similar crises. The beef supply chain has responded with a number of initiatives designed to improve the quality and marketing of the product, and Government has put in place risk management controls. This paper uses ISO 9001:2000 as an audit frame to assess quality assurance for beef in Scotland, focusing specifically on supply chain integration and integrity of product specification. Identification of responsibilities for quality within the chain, standard setting and audit are also highlighted.

This case study describes the evolution of supply chain partnerships in the British beef industry, driven by changing consumer demand, food safety legislation, a concentrated and highly competitive retail sector and the BSE crisis. The case examples demonstrate the importance of establishing trust in supply chain partnerships, breaking out of the spot trading environment which characterises commodity markets and focusing explicitly on value added initiatives as a source of differentiation and competitive advantage.