Consumer Behaviour towards Pork Meat Products: A Literature Review and Data Analysis

Abstract

Knowing the behaviour of consumers is essential for all types of companies, including meat companies. For this purpose, academia is an ally of industry, and analysing scientific production seems crucial for conducting future research. Therefore, this study aimed to carry out an exhaustive review of the literature, relying on both descriptive and bibliometric analyses, the latter being through the application of clustering techniques by simple centres. The main results and conclusions are as follows: (1) consumer perceptions, behaviours and attitudes towards food are the main focus of research in this area; (2) the ingredients and additives of meat products are the main concerns in the industry regarding such products; (3) sausages are the dominant meat product; (4) and pork, as well as other types of meat, fall under the generic umbrella term meat. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies considering age, sex and income cohorts. Such lack might have led to finding consumer behaviour and the welfare of animals not significant despite the presupposed positive correlation. The main limitations for researchers are around the availability of budgets and the existence of trade secrets.

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