A segmentation of fresh meat shoppers based on revealed preferences

Meat-focused diets are highly debated considering their environmental and health consequences. A change in consumption patterns in industrialized countries seems inevitable. To inform marketers and policymakers on how to mitigate meat consumption as a means of obtaining sustainability goals, the present study identifies consumer segments based on their actual purchases of fresh meat cuts using German household scanner data for the year 2014. Our revealed-preference approach suggests that pork and beef traditionalists and convenience-oriented pork buyers may react to financial incentives. Poultry and premium red meat lovers may be influenced by targeted labeling and quality signals. Overall, low-meat consumption patterns seem to be less prevalent in Germany than commonly portrayed.