Consumers' attitudes, perceptions and willingness to try hazelnut skins-fed beef

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Consumer Behavior
• Food Ethics

Background:

• Consumer concerns exist regarding ethical and social acceptability of animal feed.
• Agro-industrial by-products, like hazelnut skins, offer environmental benefits in livestock production but may face consumer skepticism.
• Understanding consumer perception is crucial for adopting sustainable feeding strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors influencing consumer intentions to try meat from cattle fed hazelnut skins.
• To assess the impact of different product framings (by-product, feed quality, environmental benefit) on consumer acceptance.
• To identify key predictors and barriers to accepting novel feed ingredients in livestock production.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 900 Italian regular meat consumers recruited online.
• Presentation of three different product framings related to feed ingredients.
• Analysis of consumer responses concerning intentions to try the meat, risk perception, and influencing factors like neophobia and self-identity.

Main Results:

• Consumers responded positively when informed about sustainable production, reduced food waste, or improved feed quality, regardless of framing.
• "Environmental benefits" emerged as a key predictor of willingness to try.
• Concerns about potential health effects were a major barrier; neophobia influenced risk perception, and low concern about feeding methods/low green identity correlated with skepticism.

Conclusions:

• Product characteristics, risk, and benefit perceptions significantly influence the acceptance of hazelnut skins as a feed ingredient.
• Communicating environmental benefits is crucial for consumer acceptance of alternative feeds.
• Consumer education is essential to foster acceptance of environmentally friendly livestock production methods.