Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson talks about the positive impact of the Beef Quality Assurance Program.
Consumer market research conducted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association reveals great information about the positive impact of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification. Did you know?
- 71% of consumers say they consider how the food was raised or grown when making purchasing decisions, however only 26% say they know a lot about how cattle are raised for food. The primary consumer concern is animal welfare.
- Farmers and ranchers are viewed as the most credible sources of information when it comes to US meat production practices with a 62% level of trust expressed by consumers. Veterinarians (60%) and government officials (57%) finished 2nd and 3rd in credibility in the eyes of consumers.
- Fitness professionals and dieticians (41%), conservation groups (39%), animal rights organizations (such as PETA or HSUS) (37%), celebrity chefs (36%), google search (36%), newspapers and magazines (28%), and large media outlets (such as The New York Times or FoxNews (26%) ranked below farmers and ranchers in credibility.
- Learning about BQA made consumers more confident in beef safety and animal welfare. Because BQA is nationwide, consumers understand that it represents the beef they are buying. Positive perceptions among consumers improved by 26 points after exposure to basic BQA information.
- Consumers perception of how cattle are raised for food changed dramatically in response to viewing the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner video titled “It Takes and Industry.” 31% of consumers had a positive perception before of how cattle are raised for food prior to watching the video, the positive perception jumped to 74% after watching the video.
- “clicks equals transparency” in today’s connected world, so BQA fits well since it can provide more information through additional clicks, all the way through the BQA program website, http://www.bqa.org, if consumers are interested.
- Most farmers and ranchers don’t want to do consumer outreach and beef promotion.
Bottomline: GET BQA CERTIFIED AND STAY CERTIFIED – it’s the closest thing you can do as a rancher to standing in a grocery store and saying, “I take pride in how I raise cattle so that you (the consumer) can enjoy a safe and delicious steak tonight.”
Reference: Consumer Market Research done by NCBA and funded by the Beef Checkoff
