Consumer perception of ready-to-eat deli foods and organic meat

Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are convenient and have increased in popularity. Questions about the safety of RTE foods have risen after several outbreaks of Listeria monocytogenes occurred linked to the consumption of RTE foods, mostly deli meats. The current consumers' food safety perceptions as well as shopping preferences were assessed. The primary reasons to purchase deli foods were convenience (37%), taste (32%) and nutritional value (11%). Most of the respondents (68%) believed that deli foods are more nutritious than restaurant foods. A majority of the respondents perceived deli food as "as safe as" (66%) or "safer than" (32%) restaurant food. The food safety perception depended on shopping frequency at delis as well as formal education level. It appears that Northwest Arkansas deli customers generally are less concerned about deli food safety and are only marginally aware of risks associated with these products.;Because of the growing consumer's interest in organic meat, current consumer's attitude toward organic meat was evaluated. Most respondents (59%) occasionally bought organic chicken. To determine the organic chicken consumer profile, the organic chicken consumption frequencies of different demographic groups were compared. The results show dependence on age (p=0.039) and ethnicity (p=0.015). Older respondents as well as respondents who identified themselves as Caucasians tended to buy organic chicken more frequently. However, many other socio-demographic factors were not correlated with organic chicken consumption: gender (p=0.185), education (p=0.235), household income (0.867) and composition of the family such as living with partner or not (p=0.235) and number of children (p=0.883). The main motivation factors to buy organic chicken were the perception that organic chicken has fewer residues (pesticides, hormones, antibiotics), is safer and healthier. The safety and health reasons were followed by better quality, better for the environment, better taste and animal welfare/health reasons. The high price for organic meats was the strongest limiting factor for organic meat purchases followed by poor availability. Because of the high price of organic meat, the consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for organic chicken is assessed using a choice experiment. Specifically, we examined consumers' WTP for a general organic label and a USDA certified organic label on chicken breast. Our results indicate that consumers are willing to pay a premium of 1.193...