Two-step tracking, traceability, or BSE testing: Which do United States beef consumers prefer

The discoveries of a dairy cow in the state of Washington in December 2003 and a beef cow in Texas in June 2005, both infected with BSE, essentially removed any doubt that tracking methods for animals and meat will be implemented in the United States. These tracking methods are often referred to as traceability. However, an important consideration evolving out of the pressure placed on the United States to develop some type of animal and meat traceability system is how to effectively address consumer concerns about food safety related to BSE without drastically disrupting the current domestic meat production and processing system. This dissertation describes why farm-to-fork traceability is a difficult and costly task in modern, high-volume beef packing plants.;This dissertation also provides insights, based on survey data, about consumer preferences for BSE testing and traceability. The survey questions also capture willingness-to-pay data and use a logit analysis attempting to capture characteristics that have an effect on consumer preferences of meat with certain characteristics compared to meat with others characteristics.;This project found that there is a broad-based market that desires traceable beef and guaranteed BSE-tested beef products. In spite of this, the market cannot be differentiated based on specific demographic characteristics. Results indicate that if promotional marketing for either traceable beef or BSE-tested beef products charging a premium should be done, it should be directed at households where a younger female does the shopping; aiming smaller premiums at households with small children, and larger premiums where there are no children. However, while we do gain some insights into a few broad-market groups, overall demographic information lacks the ability to segment the market for a successful and focused marketing campaign.