Meat attachment or health awareness? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in Italy
Abstract The literature suggests that consumers who purchase local foods tend to maintain more sustainable and healthier diets and are more likely to engage in fitter lifestyles. While this holds true for many local food products sold through short supply chains (such as eggs, milk, fruits, and vege...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Agricultural and Food Economics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-025-00378-2 |
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| author | Riccardo Testa Francesco Vella Giuseppina Rizzo Giorgio Schifani Giuseppina Migliore |
| author_facet | Riccardo Testa Francesco Vella Giuseppina Rizzo Giorgio Schifani Giuseppina Migliore |
| author_sort | Riccardo Testa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The literature suggests that consumers who purchase local foods tend to maintain more sustainable and healthier diets and are more likely to engage in fitter lifestyles. While this holds true for many local food products sold through short supply chains (such as eggs, milk, fruits, and vegetables), the role of a widely debated food like local red meat remains unclear. Specifically, it is uncertain whether health-related attitudes and justifications for meat consumption vary based on the frequency of red meat consumption among consumers of local red meat. This study aims to examine the influence of health attitudes and meat attachment on local red meat consumption among Italian consumers, differentiating between those who consume red meat within and those who exceed the World Health Organization's recommended nutritional guidelines. A stratified sample of 1135 Italian red meat consumers responsible for household food purchases was used for this analysis. To assess the data, a logistic regression model with robust standard errors was applied. The findings indicate that health attitudes drive consumer behaviour regardless of the overall quantity of meat consumed. However, only consumers with low meat consumption tend to justify their consumption of local red meat, while justifications for meat consumption decrease as meat intake increases. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the local red meat market and provides valuable insights for companies to tailor their marketing strategies and product value propositions to consumer perceptions. Additionally, the findings can inform policymakers in designing interventions aimed at reducing excessive meat consumption. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-35baec8edd284d839b772b36be377518 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2193-7532 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
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| series | Agricultural and Food Economics |
| spelling | doaj-art-35baec8edd284d839b772b36be3775182025-08-20T03:36:48ZengSpringerOpenAgricultural and Food Economics2193-75322025-07-0113112010.1186/s40100-025-00378-2Meat attachment or health awareness? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in ItalyRiccardo Testa0Francesco Vella1Giuseppina Rizzo2Giorgio Schifani3Giuseppina Migliore4Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of PalermoDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of PalermoDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of PalermoDepartment of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of PalermoDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of PalermoAbstract The literature suggests that consumers who purchase local foods tend to maintain more sustainable and healthier diets and are more likely to engage in fitter lifestyles. While this holds true for many local food products sold through short supply chains (such as eggs, milk, fruits, and vegetables), the role of a widely debated food like local red meat remains unclear. Specifically, it is uncertain whether health-related attitudes and justifications for meat consumption vary based on the frequency of red meat consumption among consumers of local red meat. This study aims to examine the influence of health attitudes and meat attachment on local red meat consumption among Italian consumers, differentiating between those who consume red meat within and those who exceed the World Health Organization's recommended nutritional guidelines. A stratified sample of 1135 Italian red meat consumers responsible for household food purchases was used for this analysis. To assess the data, a logistic regression model with robust standard errors was applied. The findings indicate that health attitudes drive consumer behaviour regardless of the overall quantity of meat consumed. However, only consumers with low meat consumption tend to justify their consumption of local red meat, while justifications for meat consumption decrease as meat intake increases. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the local red meat market and provides valuable insights for companies to tailor their marketing strategies and product value propositions to consumer perceptions. Additionally, the findings can inform policymakers in designing interventions aimed at reducing excessive meat consumption.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-025-00378-2Consumer behaviourMeat justificationHealth-related aspectsLocal foodMeat consumption frequency |
| spellingShingle | Riccardo Testa Francesco Vella Giuseppina Rizzo Giorgio Schifani Giuseppina Migliore Meat attachment or health awareness? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in Italy Agricultural and Food Economics Consumer behaviour Meat justification Health-related aspects Local food Meat consumption frequency |
| title | Meat attachment or health awareness? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in Italy |
| title_full | Meat attachment or health awareness? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in Italy |
| title_fullStr | Meat attachment or health awareness? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in Italy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Meat attachment or health awareness? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in Italy |
| title_short | Meat attachment or health awareness? Understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in Italy |
| title_sort | meat attachment or health awareness understanding the factors influencing the consumption of local red meat in italy |
| topic | Consumer behaviour Meat justification Health-related aspects Local food Meat consumption frequency |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-025-00378-2 |
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