Cut
Figure 1.Number of quotations coded according to the indicated codes attached
to the beef quality attributes, per country and gender*.
* Total Italian Female = 10, Total Italian Male = 6, Total Spanish Female = 12, Total Spanish Male =
4
Despite being a qualitative analysis, these results correspond to conclusions
extracted from previous researches on consumer perception of beef quality and
safety. For Spain, results of preceding studies indicate colour and place of purchase
as the most perceived quality cues and price which had a positive influence on
expected quality. A later study which analysed consumer beef preferences by
means of a Conjoint Analysis, demonstrated that price followed by presence of
certificated quality label are key factors for choosing beef at the point of purchase .
These authors affirmed that PGI quality labels are most preferred than unbranded
beef. Both price and quality labels are extrinsic cues which are perceived as relevant
cues when consumers do not dispose from adequate information on intrinsic
quality cues. However, according to the participants, and by preceding studies ,
butcher is nowadays the main and most valued place to purchase beef in Spain. The
importance attached to the origin of meat by Italian consumers has to be
considered as a sort of rational evaluation of the consumer about meat safety and
not necessarily linked to consumers’ regional identity, value of ‘locality’ or the
‘sense of belonging’, as expressed by De Cicco et al. (2001). On the contrary,
preference for national origin of beef is more linked to the trust on controls within
the national boundaries and to the safety of the product. This feeling among the
participants was also supported by the other most considered attribute, i.e. expiry
date. In this case, the ‘consume by’ information is considered as a cue of the
freshness and, indirectly, of the safety of the product. Finally, the trust on local
butchers and retail cooperatives is also highly perceived by Italian participants.
Even in this case, it can be interpreted as a credence quality attribute for meat
safety (P3: “I usually get meat from the Coop and Ipercoop 2. They often send
information home to say that the meat has been controlled”). The importance
attached by Italian consumers to origin, expiry date and quality control has been
shown also by a quantitative study performed by Bernués et al. (2003) in different
European regions. This study, by means of a Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
and a non- hierarchical Cluster Analysis, identified Italian consumers as
‘quality/safety orientated’, that is more sensitive in quality and safety properties of
meat prompting a demand for more labelled information.
4.3. Origin and quality labels
2 Names of shops belonging to the Coop Italia, the most important Italian retailer.
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