Guinea fowl (Numida meliagris) value chain: Preferences and constraints of consumers

Abstract

Despite the increasing production of guinea fowls in most African countries, consumer preference information and constraints remain largely undocumented. A study involving 200 consumers and 50 processors was done in the Tamale metropolis to assess their respective roles in the guinea fowl value chain. Consumers were categorised into households and institutions. Household consumers were further partitioned into lower-, middle-and upper-income classes. Most (99%) of the consumers interviewed ranked guinea fowl meat as their most preferred poultry product, and taste was ranked as the top most reason for their choice. A large proportion of household and institutional consumers ate guinea fowl meat once monthly (42%) or weekly (33.5%). All categories of consumers preferred farmers as the source of birds for consumption. Live birds were the most preferred form of guinea fowl by both consumers and processors. Most (93.7%) consumers indicated that there are seasonal fluctuations in the price of guinea fowl leading to the use of products that are substitutes for guinea fowl. Price instability was ranked as the top constraint to guinea fowl consumption in the metropolis. Beef was the cheapest fresh guaranteed halal meat product on the market, and the prices of beef, mutton and chevon were the most stable, while that of the guinea fowl was the least stable. Institutional consumers used guinea fowls more frequently (p<0.05) as compared to household consumers. Similarly, upper-and middle-income households, as well as male heads of households used guinea fowls more frequently (p<0.05) as compared to low-income and female heads of households. Most (60%) processors processed birds either once weekly or monthly. The level of education of the heads of households had no effect (p>0.05) on the frequency of use of guinea fowl meat. There was also no difference between male and female heads of households in preference for guinea fowl packaging. Similarly, household consumers of all income classes chose all packaging of guinea fowl equally, while households and processors ranked friends as the top source of food safety information and institutional consumers ranked television as the number one source of food safety information. Guinea fowls have huge market potential, but the seasonal price fluctuations still remain a challenge. Additionally, the preference for live birds among institutional and household consumers seem to be related to uncertainty about conforming to halal standards in slaughter of birds by processors and poor meat handling and hygiene standards among processors in the metropolis.

The fatty acid profile and the quality of breast and leg muscles in female and male pearl gray guinea fowl (Numida meleagris)

“…Despite the fact that guinea fowl are farmed around the world, their genetic potential, including the quality of guinea fowl meat, has not been thoroughly researched because in most countries (excluding the USA and France), guinea fowl of different varieties are produced mostly in free-range systems with low and varied levels of agricultural mechanization, and under different environmental conditions ( Abdul-Rahman et al, 2019 ; Araújo et al, 2019 ). According to the small number of studies conducted on this poultry species, the quality of guinea fowl meat can be influenced by the housing and management system ( Yamak et al, 2018 ), variety ( Koné et al, 2022 ), diet ( Batkowska et al, 2021 ), age at slaughter, and sex ( Sarica et al, 2019 ).…”

Axial skeletal morphological studies on the helmeted Guinea fowl (Numida meleagridis)

“…The Guinea fowl ( Numidiameleagridis ) sometimes called the pet speckled hen is a member of the family Numididae and order Galliformes (Wanmi et al, 2018). It is indigenous to Africa but has been introduced to various countries around the world and are among the oldest gallinaceous birds (Abdul‐Rahman et al, 2019). Guinea fowls are native to grasslands and woodlands in Africa and occupy all habitats except dense forest and treeless deserts (Moreki & Radikara, 2013).…”

Gross anatomical investigation on the fore limb skeleton of the helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagridis)

“…The Helmeted Guinea fowl (Numidia meleagridis), a native of sub-saharan Africa (Teye and Gyawu, 2001) is a member of the family Numididae and order Galliformes (Wanmi et al, 2018). They are indigenous to Africa but have been introduced to various countries around the world and are among the oldest gallinaceous birds (Darre, 2007;Abdul-Rahman et al, 2019). Guinea fowls are native to grasslands and woodlands in Africa and occupy all habitats except dense forest and treeless deserts (Moreki and Radikara, 2013).…”