The requirements of today’s consumers

The decisions consumers make about when, where and what to eat drive the industry, and never before has the UK dining customer been presented with so much choice. For the foodservice operator, increased consumer choice inevitably means more competition, but for the astute caterer it brings new opportunities too. For everyone involved in the food industry today, these are exciting and challenging times.

Today’s foodservice consumer

Eating out has become a key part of the British lifestyle: typically some 70% of the population claim to eat out once a fortnight, and a fifth of all UK consumers now dine out weekly.

According to the Food Standards Agency Scotland, half of all adult consumers are concerned about the fat, sugar and salt content in the food they eat – Target Group Index (TGI) data suggest that around 28% of adults in the UK are trying to lose weight ‘most of the time’. Such issues are unlikely to diminish the frequency of eating out, they are highly likely to influence what consumers choose to eat when they do.

Red meat is a major indicator of quality in foodservice

Red meat is one of the key products by which the increasingly discerning and knowledgeable consumer will judge the quality of their eating experience. Let’s look at the facts:

• Over 720 million kg of red meat is served to British consumers eating out in pubs, restaurants and canteens every year
• The amount of beef and lamb consumed out of the home is increasing
• Across the total foodservice market, approximately 26% of all protein purchased, by weight, is beef and approximately 7% is lamb, with the proportions considerably higher in some sectors (Source: Quarterly Protein Monitor October 2004)
• 42% of main courses on UK menus feature red meat, compared with 20% featuring poultry and 15% fish and seafood (Source: Menurama January 2004)

The importance of Red Meat in Foodservice

Red meat market share - main courses	Species share of main course red meat
Red meat is the most popular course choice in the UK Source: Menurama, January 2000	Beef and Lamb constitute two thirds of main course red meat Source: Menurama, January 2000

Consumer attitudes to red meat production

Most consumers are happy to think about animals on farms and about the meat they buy, but are uncomfortable and largely ignorant about the processes in between. Consumers are concerned about two key issues: animal welfare and the desire for ‘humane’ methods of livestock production and slaughter. Research by the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has shown that consumers seek reassurance in the form of assured standards which satisfy their ‘top five areas of priority’:

1 Living conditions Scotland’s environment is hugely beneficial to animals and to meat production	2 Transport conditions Transportation is efficient and travel times minimised
3 Humane slaughter Only highly skilled, licenced slaughter professionals are employed	4 Safety of the animal feed Only the best feed is used to supplement Mother Nature’s diet
5 Hygienic handling of meat Hygiene is a key priority along the supply chain

Most participants in the research were generally confident in Scotland’s red meat production standards and believed that there had been an improvement in the last few years in response to red meat scares. Additionally, a strong association was made to the environment when buying meat from Scotland. Clearly, as a caterer, it makes sense to offer your customers the reassurance that the meat you buy and serve is reared and processed to established quality assurance standards.

Source: Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD)

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