Procedural Priorities of the Pork Loin Supply Chain

Abstract

The pork meat production industry is facing new challenges as a consequence of consumers' expectations regarding the quality and safety of food products. For the present study, experts and consumers in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil were interviewed to identify the attributes of pork loin that need to be improved. Consumers have particular concerns about the juiciness, fibrousness, and portion size of the meat, the diversity of cuts and safety and animal welfare. The supply chain was also analyzed in order to verify the procedural priorities that need to be improved in order to meet the demands of consumers. Experts were interviewed using the quality function deployment methodology. The findings of the study indicate that, improvements must be made in the production sector in terms of animal handling and transportation. In the processing sector, improvements are required regarding slaughter control of PSE and DFD, the development of new packaging, and product fractionation. The requirements in the distribution sector relate to information campaigns for consumers to diffuse the nutritional characteristics of pork loin and in the product safety through sanitary inspection.

American Citizens’ Views of an Ideal Pig Farm

“…In contrast to the Europeans, Chinese urban citizens seem to prefer industrial farms [ 36 , 37 ], a response that was echoed by some Brazilian consumers [ 38 , 39 ]. The preference for large industrial farms in some countries, particularly in emerging economies, by pork consumers may be associated with the perception that sanitary conditions and food safety standards are higher on these types of farms [ 36 , 37 , 40 ]. In the current survey, cleanliness and sanitary aspects were also highly valued as desired features of an ideal pig farm.…”

Brazilian Citizens’ Opinions and Attitudes about Farm Animal Production Systems

“…This might be explained by the fact that Brazilian consumers perceive pork meat as a greater risk to health than beef [ 68 ]. Others have shown that, although some sensorial aspects, practicality and convenience and production following animal welfare standards are highly valued by Brazilian pork consumers, animal sanitary aspects are considered the most important [ 69 ]. Possibly due to historical and cultural images of early pork production systems that existed in the country [ 68 , 70 ], many Brazilians associate pork meat with a source of zoonotic diseases–especially worm infestations–and high cholesterol [ 71 , 72 ].…”

Concerns, attitudes, and opinions of meat buyers in Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Brazil

“…Concerns, attitudes, and opinions of meat buyers in Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Brazil Dill et al Lino et al (2009) reported that the main factor influencing the purchase decision of consumers buying meat in the public markets of the city of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, located in the metropolitan region of Recife, Pernambuco, was price, followed by convenience, custom, and reliability of the product. Often, meat was no longer consumed due to the buyer's income, lack of availability and practicality of the food, and/or perceived health risks (Dill et al, 2014b). This concern about health risks may be associated with recent major scandals involving dubious suppliers who misrepresented their products to consumers (Boito et al, 2021).…”

“…Through the literature review, a preliminary questionnaire was developed with objective and subjective questions based on the TPB (Ajzen, 1991) and research related to consumer behavior (Yeung and Morris, 2001;McCarthy et al, 2003;Verbeke and Vackier, 2005;Barcellos, 2007;Verbeke et al, 2010;Barcellos et al, 2012;Diniz et al, 2013;Dill et al, 2014b). The questionnaire went through a pre-test with 10 specialists in the areas of consumer behavior, sanitation, and meat inspection and marketing, and 10 meat buyers.…”

“…Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that modulate consumer behavior to develop educational programs that aim to make buyers and sellers aware of the relevance of hygienic and sanitary conditions in meat sale. The evaluation of products by consumers is based on the detection and hierarchy of quality indicators that are represented by both intrinsic and extrinsic attributes (Poulsen et al, 1996;Dill et al, 2014b). These factors are present before, during, and after the purchase of a product, and it is important to analyze all stages of the process.…”