Socioeconomic factors associated with the perception and attitude of consumers toward traced meat in Contagem, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The aim of this study was to analyze knowledge related to bovine traceability and to profile the perception and attitude of consumers toward traced beef in Contagem, Minas Gerais, Brazil; in addition to verifying which socioeconomic factors are related to purchasing decisions regarding traced meat. The variables were described and a multiple model Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) logistic regression was elaborated to identify possible associations between the socio-economic characteristics of consumers and the key attributes of meat that influence their decision to purchase it. Data were accumulated through interviews of 400 consumers in April 2012. The presence of the stamp of the Brazilian Federal Inspection Service (SIF) on the product was the attribute that most influenced the consumers’ purchasing decisions. The majority of the interviewed people had never heard about beef traceability. Among those who had heard about it, most were willing to pay more for traced meat. However, there are disadvantages associated with traceability, mainly in relation to increased meat price. Consumers with higher levels of education and income had a better understanding of this type of certification; moreover, higher monthly incomes were associated with greater consumer willingness to pay more for traced meat

Eficiência técnica e viabilidade econômica de diferentes métodos de identificação de bovinos permitidos pelo sistema de rastreabilidade brasileiro

We aimed to evaluate the technical efficiency and economic viability of the implementation and use of four cattle identification methods allowed by the Brazilian traceability system. The study was conducted in a beef cattle production system located in the State of Mato Grosso, from January to June 2012. Four identification methods (treatments) were compared: T1: ear tag in one ear and ear button in the other ear (eabu); T2: ear tag and iron brand on the right leg (eaib); T3: ear tag in one ear and tattoo on the other ear (eata); and T4: ear tag in one ear and electronic ear tag (eael) on the other. Each treatment was applied to 60 Nelore animals, totaling 240 animals, divided equally into three life stages (calves, young cattle, adult cattle). The study had two phases: implementation (phase 1) and reading and transfer of identification numbers to an electronic database (phase 2). All operating expenses related to the two phases of the study were determined. The database was constructed, and the statistical analyses were performed using SPSS® 17.0 software. Regarding the time spent on implementation (phase 1), conventional ear tags and electronic ear tags produced similar results, which were lower than those of hot iron and tattoo methods, which differed from each other. Regarding the time required for reading the numbers on animals and their transcription into a database (phase 2), electronic ear-tagging was the fastest method, followed by conventional ear tag, hot iron and tattoo. Among the methods analyzed, the electronic ear tag had the highest technical efficiency because it required less time to implement identifiers and to complete the process of reading and transcription to an electronic database and because it did not exhibit any errors. However, the cost of using the electronic ear-tagging method was higher primarily due to the cost of the device.Objetivou-se avaliar a eficiência técnica e a viabilidade econômica da implantação e utilização de quatro métodos de identificação de bovinos, permitidos pelo sistema de rastreabilidade brasileiro. A pesquisa foi realizada em um sistema de produção de gado de corte, localizado no Estado de Mato Grosso, de janeiro a junho de 2012. Foram comparados quatro métodos de identificação (tratamentos): T 1: brinco auricular em uma orelha e botton auricular na outra (brbo); T 2: brinco auricular e marca a fogo na perna direita (brmf); T 3: brinco auricular em uma orelha e tatuagem na outra (brta); T 4: brinco auricular em uma orelha e brinco eletrônico (arruela eletrônica auricular) (brde) na outra. Cada tratamento foi aplicado em 60 animais da raça Nelore, totalizando 240 animais, igualmente divididos em três categorias animais (bezerros, novilhos e vacas adultas). A pesquisa teve duas fases: implantação (fase 1) e leitura dos números de identificação e sua transferência para um banco de dados eletrônico (fase 2). Foram levantadas todas as despesas operacionais referentes às duas fases da pesquisa. A construção do banco de dados e as análises estatísticas foram realizadas utilizando o software SPSS® 17.0. Quanto ao tempo gasto na implantação (fase 1), o brinco convencional e a arruela eletrônica auricular apresentaram resultados semelhantes, e menores que o ferro quente e tatuagem, que apresentaram tempos diferentes entre si. No que diz respeito ao tempo necessário para leitura dos números dos animais, bem como a sua transcrição para um banco de dados (fase 2), foi verificado que a arruela auricular eletrônica foi o mais rápido, seguido pelo brinco convencional, ferro quente e tatuagem. Dentre os analisados, o método que apresentou maior eficiência técnica, em função de necessitar de menor tempo na implantação dos dispositivos de identificação, bem como na leitura e transcrição para um banco de dados eletrônico, e não ter apresentado nenhum erro foi a arruela auricular eletrônica. No entanto, o custo da utilização deste dispositivo foi mais elevado, principalmente em função da aquisição do equipamento, que possibilitou uma leitura dos números mais rápido

Factors associated with perceptions and attitude of consumers of meat with certification of origin

ABSTRACT. Bruhn F.R.P., Lopes M.A., Faria P.B., Junqueira L.V. & Rocha C.M.B.M. [Factors associated with perceptions and attitude of consumers of meat with certification of origin.] Fatores associados à percepção e atitude de consumidores de carne bovina com certificação de origem. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária 37(4):371-378, 2015. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Campus Universitário, Caixa Postal 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-000, Brasil. Email: [email protected] The aim of this study was to determine which socioeconomic factors are related to the decision to purchase meat with certification of origin, as well as raising the profile of perception and attitude of consumers of beef in Cuiabá, MT. We performed a description of the variables and built Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) logistic regression model using the statistical package SPSS 18.0, to identify possible associations between socio-demographic characteristics and other variables raised through interviews among 418 respondents in March 2012. The place of acquisition of the flesh was the attribute that most influences the purchasing decisions of consumers. Most respondents never heard about bovine traceability. Among those who have heard about traceability, most would be willing to pay more for meat with certification of origin, although considering that there are disadvantages associated with traceability, especially in relation to the increase in the price of meat. Consumers with higher education and income were more knowledgeable about this type of certification, and these factors are of great influence on the acceptability of consumers to pay more for traced beef