June 1997

This report presents the findings of a telephone study of principal grocery shoppers in the Maritimes on behalf of the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Marketing. The overall objective in conducting this study was to obtain a better understanding of the attitudes, behaviour and purchasing practices of the beef consumer in the Maritime provinces for fresh, ground and processed beef.

More specifically, the study sought to:

• Determine if consumers are interested in recipes and beef preparation information and, if so, which type of information they desire (i.e. quick and easy, different and interesting, entertaining and special occasions, quantity or size, nutritious, low fat, etc.);

• Determine consumers preferred method of receiving information regarding beef (i.e. advertisements on TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, POS at retail, direct mail, grocery store flyers, cooking instructions on packages, etc.);

• Assess consumers' level of knowledge relating to beef on each of the following:
  
  • cooking
  • handling
  • cut terminology
  • food safety information (i.e. need to cook hamburger well done)
  • cooking methods - grilling, BBQ, broiling, roasting, frying, stir frying;

• Determine consumer preference in terms of how well they prefer to have their beef cooked;

• Evaluate consumers' level of understanding and awareness of beef grades;

• Determine sources from which consumers have obtained their level of knowledge and awareness of beef grades;

• Assess the impact of each of the following on beef purchasing decision;
  • the term "western beef"
  • A grade labels;

• Determine in which types of restaurants consumers order beef:
  • fine dining
  • casual dining (restaurant with bar, e.g. Keg)
  • family style (no bar)
  • fast food;

• Determine the key factors which would encourage consumers to order more beef when eating out;

• Determine the level of frequency with which consumers order the following beef items when eating out:
  • burgers
  • roast beef
  • beef and pasta dishes
  • beef sub sandwiches
  • beef stir fry
  • other;

• Evaluate how much of an influence the origin of beef has on a consumer's beef purchasing decision in restaurants (i.e. Canadian Beef, Nova Scotian Beef, etc.);

• Determine key nutritional and health concerns related to beef consumption;

• Assess perception of the amount of fat beef contributes to the diet (as compared to other sources);

• Evaluate the level of understanding of the following in relation to beef:
  • positive nutrient contribution of beef to diet (i.e. iron, protein, zinc, etc.)
  • information on portion sizes (i.e. deck of cards = 100 grams)
  • marbling;

• Assess habits with regards to trimming beef;

• Determine how many "meatless" meals consumers serve in a household on a weekly basis;

• Determine the number of households having a vegetarian (i.e. no meat, no red meat, etc.)

• Profile the purchasing practices of beef in the Maritime provinces:
  • Where do consumers purchase beef? (butcher, direct from producers, farmers' markets, supermarkets, health food stores, etc.)
  • How do beef purchases change during the year? (volumes, cuts, processed/manufactured, etc.);

• Obtain a profile of grocery shopping habits:
  • Which day of the week are groceries purchased?
  • What time of the day are groceries purchased?

• Develop recommendations for further development of the beef industry in the Maritimes:
  • Assess level of interest in a variety of beef products
  • Determine whether consumers purchase pre-marinated or pre-seasoned meat
  • Determine which beef marinating flavours consumers prefer from a specific list of suggested flavours.