Animal Welfare Approved – 2011 Animal Products Survey Results
This report details findings of a survey addressing consumer behavior surrounding food and meat labeled as sustainable or humane. The survey also asked questions about meat consumption and the importance of various qualities when selecting animal products.
From Executive Summary:
“Survey results show a strong link between food labels and purchasing decisions.
Even taking into account that respondents may inflate estimates of their own practices, there are a number of findings with the potential for positive economic impact. A majority of respondents stated that they would pay more for sustainably raised meat, dairy and eggs, but that these products were currently difficult to find in the chain grocery stores at which 60% of respondents shop.”
“Almost half of respondents reported they have sustainably raised animal products for 1-5 meals each week, and nearly all respondents said that clear labeling for animal products was ‘important’ or ‘somewhat important’ to increasing the production and consumption of sustainably raised meat. Over 91% of respondents report using label information (for example, organic, fair trade, local, etc.) when making a choice about buying products. This is especially interesting in conjunction with the lukewarm level of confidence in most food labels seen in the grocery store and suggests that increased transparency in food labels would result in higher purchasing of sustainable products.”
Other findings:
- “The majority of respondents (39.7%) reported they eat most meats, but in limited portions; (38.2%) reported eating all types of meat regularly.”
- “The majority of respondents eat all meats, seafood, and eggs for 1-5 meals each week. Dairy is consumed for 6-10 meals a week and more than half of respondents do not consume any soy or ‘fake meat’ products.”
- “The majority of respondents reported they would be willing to pay $1-2 extra for meats, eggs, cheese, and milk if they knew the animal was raised humanely and without added hormones and unnecessary antibiotics.”