volume 3, issue 6: october 15, 2015 food demand...

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FooDSFOOD DEMAND SURVEY

Volume 3, Issue 6: October 15, 2015

Food Demand Survey | Oklahoma State University | [email protected] Lusk | Regents Professor & Willard Sparks Endowed Chair | 405-744-7465

Susan Murray | Research Specialist | 405-744-4857This project is supported by a Willard Sparks Endowment, the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, and the

Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive Program of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

FooDS tracks consumer preferences and sentiments on the safety, quality, and price of food at home and away from home with particular focus on meat demand. FooDS is a monthly on-line survey with a sample size of at least 1,000 individuals, weighted to match the US population in terms of age, gender, education and region of residence. See the online technical document for more details.

About the Survey

In October, willingness-to-pay (WTP) decreased for all products. Among meat products, WTP for deli ham witnessed the highest percentage decrease of approximately 32%. Hamburger saw the smallest percent decrease from last month at 5.75%. WTP for all meat products, except chicken breast, are all lower relative to this time last year.

MEAT DEMAND

Food expenditures for food eaten at home increased 1.18% from September to October and food expenditures for food purchased away from home increased 4.59% relative to last month. Consumers expect lower meat prices than they did a month ago, and they report expecting to buy slightly more meat compared to last month.

FOOD EXPENDITURES

Willingness-to-Pay

Steak Chicken Breast

Hamburger Pork Chop Deli Ham Chicken Wing

Beans & Rice

Pasta

Last Year:October 2014

$7.05 $4.88 $4.25 $3.69 $2.37 $2.21 $2.11 $2.85

Last Month:September 2015

$7.83 $5.70 $4.35 $3.74 $2.51 $2.32 $1.90 $3.30

October 2015 $6.60 $4.96 $4.10 $3.44 $1.70 $1.76 $1.06 $2.63

% change(Sept. - Oct.)

-15.71% -12.98% -5.75% -8.02% -32.27% -24.14% -44.21% -20.30%

Current weekly at home

Current weekly away from home

Anticipated change in at home in next 2 weeks

Anticipated change away from home in next 2 weeks

October 2014 $93.27 $48.12 -0.44% -1.64%

September 2015 $97.56 $53.65 -0.56% -1.27%

October 2015 $98.71 $56.11 -0.42% -1.37%

% change(Sept. - Oct.)

1.18% 4.59% -------- --------

http://agecon.okstate.edu/files/Survey%20Info%20(pdf4556).pdf




Consumer Expectations FooDS

GMO, Salmonella, and E. coli were the most visible issues in the news over the past two weeks. The largest percent jump in awareness from September to October was for antibiotics and hormones. The largest percent decrease in awareness from September to October was for Salmonella. Salmonella, E. coli, and hormones were ranked as the top three concerns during October. The largest percent increase in concern from last month was for cloning and antibiotics. The largest percent decrease in concern was for beta-agonists and greenhouse gas.

AWARENESS & CONCERN TRACKING

Awareness of Food Issues




Concern for Food Issues FooDS

Taste, safety, and price remained consumers’ most important values when purchasing food this month. Consumer values remained similar to those in past months, with slight decreases in perceived values of safety taste, and price, and an increase in perceived value of appearance. Similar to previous months, consumers reported that their main challenge was finding affordable foods that fit within their budget. Finding time to cook at home and finding food children will eat remained the least pressing challenges. 5.14% of participants reported having food poisoning, a 1.58% decrease from September.

GENERAL FOOD VALUES

Consumer Challenges Consumer Values




FooDS

Several new ad hoc questions were added to the survey this month.One set of questions related to food waste. These will be reported separately at a later date.Another set of questions dealt with consumers’ opinion on policies related to farm animal confinement, similar to Proposition 2 that passed in California in 2008. Of particular interest was whether the framing of the issue affected voting outcomes.Respondents were randomly allocated to one of three conditions. One third of participants in the first condition were asked to vote on an initiative that: “requires that all animals in your state live in production systems where the farm animals are confined only in ways that allow these animals to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn around freely.”Respondents in the second condition were asked a similar worded question except it was framed as a ban on the sale rather than production. The initiative: “requires that all animal-derived food sold in your state comes from production systems where farm animals are confined only in ways that allow”. Respondents in the third condition were asked the same question as in the second condition but “requires” was replaced with “prohibits”. The initiative: “prohibits the sale of all animal-derived food in your state from production systems where farm animals are confined in ways that do not allow”. Participants were asked to respond “Yes, in favor”, “No, in opposition”, or “Unsure”. Overall, the majority of respondents stated they would vote “Yes, in favor” in each of the three conditions. Despite the very different implications of the first and second initiatives, voting outcomes were nearly identical in the two conditions. In fact, framing had very little effect, aside from a “prohibition” eliciting more yes votes than a “requirement”.

AD HOC QUESTIONS

Standards for Confining Farm Animals

volume 3, issue 6: october 15, 2015 food demand...

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