Market Potential for Locally Produced Meat Products

The goal of this research was to guide livestock producers in marketing, product design and pricing decisions. Tools included a focus group, a consumer taste-testing and willingness-to-pay survey, and a restaurant survey. Experience attributes of locally produced ground beef were especially competitive, and demand for credence attributes packaged under the "local " label appears consistent with a niche market that could justify verification programs. Restaurants are a potentially receptive outlet for local meats, allowing producers to avoid the barriers to entry in mainstream grocery outlets. The overall objective of this research was to pro-vide livestock producers with an assessment of market opportunities for locally produced meat products. Specific objectives were to identify the sources of value consumers place on locally pro-duced meats, measure consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for locally produced meats, compare flavor attributes of locally produced and commercial meats, and identify factors affecting restaurants&apos