CONSUMER PERCEPTION ON ALTERNATIVE POULTRY

International Food and Agribusiness Management Review
Vol 5 Iss 2 2003

Consumer Perception on Alternative Poultry*

Tatiana M. Q. Farina ^a ® and Silvia F. de Almeida ^b

^a Department of Economics, University of Sao Paulo, Rua Victor Brecheret,17, Sao Paulo, SP
04008-100,Brazil

^b Department of Economics, University of Sao Paulo, Rua Pedroso Alvarenga, 157 apto 94, Sao Paulo, SP
04531-010,Brazil

1. Introduction

The pattern of world food consumption has changed in the last decades towards a greater
demand for quality attributes. Recent crises of food safety, such as dioxin, “mad cow”,
foot-and-mouth disease, have attracted the consumers' attention. However, the quality
attributes are not only related to food safety, but also to the impact that production has
on the environment and on social welfare. Despite the low per capita income in Brazil, a
growing number of consumers have become concerned with these issues and are willing
to pay price premiums for natural foods, which supposedly do not contain chemical
products or other sources of contamination in addition to being produced in an
environmentally friendly manner (Regmi et al , 2001; Unctad et al , 1999).

Due to the increasing demand of consumer groups in relation to the issues cited above, a
market niche has emerged for organic agriculture. The market for organics is of
particular interest, because of its brisk growth in recent years. In Brazil, there is already
a wide range of organic products being produced both for the domestic market and,
mainly, for the external market. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to assess the size and
evolution of this market due to the lack of regular and methodologically-based research
generating statistics on it (Pensa, 2002; Unctad,1999).

* This project was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Elizabeth Farina, vice-coordinator of PENSA and Full Professor of the
Economics Department of USP and Dr. Guy Henry of Cirad.

® Corresponding author: Tel: + 55-11-557-93179

Fax: + 55-11-508-41640

Email: [email protected]

Other contact information: Ms. S^lvia de Almeida [email protected] Tel: + 55-11-307-95628.

© 2003 International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IAMA). All rights reserved.

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