Szabadtartásos baromfitermékek fogyasztói értékítélete

Absztrakt

In consequence of the change in producing demands and consumer expectations the Master Good Group started producing, processing and merchandizing free-held poultry products several years ago. The consumer-welcome of the new product is considered as favourable, at present 1.5% of the chickens are free-held in Hungary. This breeding technology results in special quality chicken, similarly to ‘rasorial’ chickens, which are bred and kept in villages, around family houses, in the garden, in this way they are more flavorous and stringier than the broiler. The freeheld chicken is kept on fodder free from medicine; their living conditions are adequate from the view of animal welfare as well. We made primary market survey with the support and cooperation of Master Good Group, in order to examine the consumer’s judgement of chicken and free-held chicken. We completed the survey based on questionnaires (1011 pieces) in May, 2008, with the help of questioners, next to meat counters of shopping centres (hyper- and supermarkets), in cities having a determinant role in the marketing of free-held chicken, signalled by the brand name ‘farm chicken’ (Budapest, Debrecen, Győr, Székesfehérvár, Szeged and Nyíregyháza). During the evaluation of the questionnaires, we carried out descriptive and non parametric statistical calculations with the help of SPSS 13.0 statistical program. In this study we present the most important results in connection with the consumer’s product knowledge, price-acceptance as well as purchasing and consumption attitudes of free-held chicken and ‘farm chicken’ within it. We concluded that 58.5% of the consumers know the examined product group, whereas the frequency of consumption is occasional. The reason for this – besides not knowing the products – is the higher price of the products (about 50% higher than conventional chicken products) for which the consumers are not willing to pay in general. Consequently, the primary consumers are health-conscious, high-qualified and stay in higher income status, i.e. those, who are less influenced by prices, but much more by wholesomeness and savouriness, rather than the main characteristics of free-held chicken.