Assessment of Beef Quality Determinants Based on Consumer Preferences

Abstract

This study presents the assessment of beef quality determination based on the consumer preferences, established in the beef retailing shops. The aim was to establish correlation between the customers’ preferences and quality attribute cues affecting their preferences. Systematic review approach was used to identify studies connected with beef quality determination, leading to secondary data. The primary data on consumer preferences was collected from 208 and 98 customers in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya cities in Tanzania. Quality attribute cues that impact customer preference were collected using a Likert scale technique and analyzed by using Kruskal-Wallis one way ANOVA by ranks, after checking the reliability by multiple regression model. Tenderness, price, juiciness, breed’s information and fat content were observed to be the five topmost overall ranked quality cues that impact customers’ preferences. With respect to relative ranking, the highest relatively ranked beef quality cues in search, experience and credence attributes were price, tenderness and breed’s information. Based on primary data, the assessed quality cues were positively accepted as the factors that influence consumers’ preferences on butcher’s location (73.5% and 72.6%), personal relation with sellers (69.4% and 69.7%), beef color (70.4% and 70.2%) and fat content (69.4% and 69.2%) in Mbeya and Dar es Salaam, respectively, and noted to be very comparable between the cities. With exception of the photo of choice standard graded beef, the responses of customers in Mbeya were relatively higher than in Dar es Salaam, with type of cut and beef cleanliness being the two highest pointed quality cues.