Vol. 12, Special Issue 7 (2023)

Author(s):
Sivaprasad MS, Neha Parmar, Jisna KS and Vinod VK

Abstract:
This study investigated consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions towards processed meat products sold in major cities of Kerala. Although processed meat is an emerging technology in the present era, about 16.5% of the respondents were unaware of processed meat. However, 61.8% expressed their willingness to use processed meat when it is available in retail markets. Among various processed meat products sold in Kerala, respondents favoured ready-to-cooked meat products (61.5%), minced products (27.8%), smoked products (25.6%), salted/cured products (25.2%) and canned products (16.8%). The study revealed that 77.3% of the respondents preferred fresh meat, while frozen and chilled meat was preferred by 6.1% and 4.9% of the customers, respectively. However, no such preference was shown by 11.7% of the respondents. Preference for meat was attributed to concerns related to quality (71.8%), food safety (56%) and reliability of meat shops (21.7%). The study indicated that 38.2% of the respondents preferred roadside/local butchers, while 66% favored meat markets and other stalls for meat purchases. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the meat consumption behaviour of 39.5% of respondents. The disrupted supply chains, fears of meat-borne transmission of COVID-19, and the financial crisis were the plausible reasons recorded by 27.8%, 9.4%, and 18.4% of respondents, respectively. This study provides valuable insight for further product development and optimization of marketing strategies for innovative processed meat products.