T. Farina and S. Almeida / International Food and Agribusiness Management Review Vol 5 Iss 2 2003
The consumer of differentiated products has already recognized the importance of
certification. Among the interviewees, the vast majority declared that they were willing
to pay more for a certified product. It was noted that there was a distinct preference for
an independent certifying body over self-certification. Practically everyone interviewed
was willing to pay more for an independent certifier seal. Of the people that answered
that they would pay more for a certified product, 23% did not know if the chicken they
consumed had any type of seal or not. This shows that, despite the acknowledgement of
the need for certification, the interviewees do not know how to utilized this tool yet.
4. Conclusions
It was noted that the consumer of alternative chicken is part of the elite of society, both
in terms of education and in terms of income. This consumer is less sensitive to price and
is more concerned with attributes of quality. It was observed that the consumer of
alternative chicken does not have strong preferences between natural and free-range,
what he desires is a chicken free from antibiotics and growth promoters.
A major problem in this market is the asymmetry of information: the consumer cannot
distinguish exactly one type from the other and has no guarantee that the product he or
she is acquiring was produced according to its standard. For this reason, certification has
played an increasingly important role in the decision to buy alternative products. It was
also noted that, in addition to not managing to differentiate one type from another,
consumers do not worry about the problems that can emerge in the production of
alternative chicken and that do not appear in the conventional, such as salmonella.
Though this is a problem that should be monitored by the Brazilian system of sanitary
defense, it is a widely recognized fact that this system is run badly and has a terrible
reputation in the eyes of the consumer. The problem of this negligence is that if there is a
recurrence in cases of contamination by alternative products, they could suffer a loss of
reputation, even before the market is consolidated. As was concluded from the empirical
research performed, the consumer pays a premium for a product he believes is healthy
and this includes food safety.
Certainly, more studies of this nature, with a broader scope, are necessary. Nevertheless,
this is a contribution that provides some notions about the preferences of the consumer of
alternative chickens and confirms other similar studies that have been conducted.