How can we encourage the purchase of animal welfare meat?

In addition to taste and appearance, animal welfare is an increasingly important factor for consumers when purchasing meat and sausage products. According to a study by the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMEL), around two thirds of consumers pay attention to animal welfare labels when purchasing animal products. According to other studies, however, the meaning of the individual label levels is not clear to many consumers.

However, this understanding is a prerequisite for consumers to buy animal welfare meat and be willing to pay more for it. Scientists at the University of Göttingen have therefore investigated which information offers can boost the sale of animal welfare meat.

In a preliminary study, they first examined the general effects of information on the labels. To do this, the participants were divided into four groups, each of which had obtained different levels of information about pig husbandry type 3 (HF 3). The following measures were used:

• text only,

• Text + pictures,

• Text + 360° video via tablet,

• Text + 360° video via virtual reality (VR) glasses.

All information measures were able to increase not only the understanding, assessment of animal welfare and acceptance of HF 3, but also the willingness to buy and the majority of people. All four information measures were considered by the test subjects to be suitable for finding out about the attitudes towards animals in HF 3. The videos were slightly ahead. In terms of user experience, the VR glasses were particularly convincing, while the participants rated the information via text or text + image as somewhat more suitable for use in the supermarket.

Based on these findings, the scientists investigated whether the results can be transferred to a real shopping situation. They wanted to find out to what extent consumers actually use the information channels in the supermarket and what effect they have on them on site.

To this end, the team surveyed a total of 182 pork buyers in two Kaufland branches in Göttingen in October 2023. The participants’ ages ranged from 19 to 86. 49% of respondents were men and 51% were women.

The first part of the survey recorded consumers’ shopping behavior, their attitude toward pig farming and their impression of the information available in supermarkets. They were also asked about their perception of the existing animal welfare label.

Participants cited the type of animal husbandry (73%), regional origin (68%), the appearance of the meat (55%), and also the price (49%) as relevant aspects when buying pork. The use of sustainable feed (18%) or the brand (7%) were less important to them. In addition, consumers attach importance to finding out about how pigs are kept (71%), although only a few found the information available to be sufficient (22%).

The majority of respondents (88%) said they had already seen the currently most common husbandry label in the food retail sector, while only 42% of respondents said the same about the Kaufland Wertschätze label. In addition, 55% of respondents had already bought pork from HF 3, whereas 22% had never done so and 23% were unsure. In general, participants found both the husbandry label and the Wertschätze label helpful. Nevertheless, over 70% needed further information about the two labels. And only about half or a third of respondents could specifically imagine what the husbandry label and the Wertschätze label meant.

In the second part of the survey, the test subjects were asked to decide how they would like to find out about HF 3. They had four options from the preliminary study to choose from: text, images, a 360° video via tablet or VR glasses. This time, they had the option of choosing text for the images and videos. There was also the option of not receiving any information. The test subjects were then asked to explain their decision.

The majority of respondents opted for information in the form of images (see Overview 1). The second most common choice was information text, with only 28 of the 46 respondents choosing pure text and 18 choosing text in conjunction with another information measure.

Most people chose the combination of image and text because it was difficult to understand and because it saved time. The videos were chosen because of their realistic impression and detailed information. When it came to VR glasses, participants also mentioned interest in the technology and fun, and when it came to text, they also mentioned detailed information. 26% of respondents, however, had no need for any further information. The main reasons they gave for this were a lack of time and already having sufficient knowledge of pig farming.

Women and people with a higher level of education in particular opted for text, while the tablet was more likely to be used by older people (older than 55) and the VR glasses by younger people (younger than 30). Older people and men in particular decided against information.

Overall, the information helped the majority of respondents to better imagine how pigs are kept in HF 3. 36% of respondents stated that the conditions were better than expected. 31% had already imagined the animal husbandry and 28% felt that the conditions were worse than expected.

The majority’s willingness to buy HF 3 pork also increased as a result of the information (see Overview 2). There were hardly any differences between the information measures; only the people who had watched the 360° video on the tablet regularly agreed that their willingness to pay had increased. Over 70% of those surveyed think it is good to be able to continue to find out about the chosen communication channel in the future.

The respondents were then asked to rate how well the four information measures were suited for use in the supermarket. Images (80%) clearly came out on top, followed by videos on tablets (55%), texts (42%) and VR glasses (38%).

Finally, respondents were asked whether they had noticed the existing label and information or advertising measures in the supermarket. The results show that the label on the price labels on the self-service shelf was particularly eye-catching. 64% of respondents said they had already seen these, while only around 30% said they had seen the flyers, displays and posters for HF 3 and 4.

In summary, the study confirms that the amount of time spent on information plays a decisive role in the choice of information option, as many consumers have to shop for groceries quickly. Images that are easier to understand and more realistic can score points here. However, many test subjects wanted additional information in the form of text in order to be able to better classify what they saw.

The placement of the label on the products is also important. For example, respondents noticed it much more clearly on the price labels, so a label right next to it attracts more attention. However, space is limited, so the label can only be shown in a small size. This means that older people or people with impaired vision in particular have a harder time perceiving it.

Further information on the conditions in which the animals are kept could be provided, for example, on the doors of the self-service shelves or on the packaging. To ensure that the products remain easily recognizable for the buyer, QR codes on the packaging or screens with photos or videos can help.