Food consumption dynamics in China: the case of beef

As a large developing country, China has experienced rapid economic growth in the two decades. With the increase of consumer income, food consumption has become greatly diversified. Such changes have more implications for policy makers and for food marketers. Beef as a meat product is slowly gaining ground relative to the more traditional pork products. A small percentage change in China’s beef consumption could lead to a dramatic impact on international trade in beef and feed grains. This paper has concentrated on factors affecting beef purchasing decisions in China. Using probit regression analysis, the effect was estimated of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, together with other influences on preferences as they affect beef purchasing decisions. Data were collected from two separate consumer surveys – one urban and one rural. This permitted better estimation of overall trends and comparison between urban and rural consumer preferences for beef