Consumers Still Prefer to Buy Meat at Supermarkets: Study

ORLANDO, Fla. - While more consumers are shifting spending to supercenters, they still prefer to buy meat from supermarkets, Food Marketing Institute's Power of Meat 2007 research report shows. FMI Director of Research Anne-Marie Roerink presented the findings at the Annual Meat Conference here yesterday. A clear majority (89.2%) of supermarket shoppers stay within the supermarket for their meat and poultry purchases. If they do go elsewhere, it is to stand-alone butcher shops or warehouse club stores. Four in 10 supercenter shoppers, on the other hand, skip the meat aisles there and purchase meat and poultry elsewhere. Indeed, 24.8% of them buy their meat at conventional supermarkets. The research, sponsored by Cryovac, a division of Sealed Air, also delves into consumers' perceptions of brand importance, price and value, the growth of organic/natural meat sales, and lists suggestions from consumers that they say would get them to buy more from their supermarket meat department.