WHATS IN A STEAK - A CROSS-CULTURAL-STUDY ON THE QUALITY PERCEPTION OF BEEF

With the Total Food Quality Model as point of departure, a study is de scribed which analyses how consumers evaluate the quality of beef in a purchase situation in four European countries: France, Germany, Spain and the UK. The study consisted of a series of focus groups and of an extended form of conjoint analysis which allows an estimation of mean s-end structures. Tradition and security, variation, atmosphere and so cial life, health, acceptance from family/children/guests, nutrition, demonstration of cooking abilities, and status are the most important purchasing motives in all four countries. The most important quality a spects of beef are that it tastes good, is tender, juicy, fresh, lean, healthy and nutritious. Purchasing motives as well as quality aspects are uni-dimensional in Germany, Spain, and the UK, while they are mul ti-dimensional in France. Place of purchase and quality perception are related in all four countries, i.e. the butcher is regarded as a sort of guarantor of high quality. This applies less in the UK than in the other countries, however. The most important concrete product charact eristics which consumers base their quality evaluation on are fat cont ent and colour. Fat is generally negative, and this applies to all asp ects of fat. The positive effects of fat on taste and tenderness are n ot perceived. German consumers prefer dark meat, whereas Spanish consu mers tend to prefer light meat. Information about country of origin an d breeding and feeding has no effect on qualify perception. The result s suggest that producers of superior beef have a problem in communicat ing this quality to consumers, and that a quality grading system devel oped in co-operation between producer and retailer may be the best way to overcome consumer uncertainty in evaluating the quality of beef. ( C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.