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More than half of US consumers would be more likely to purchase beef if it was raised without antibiotics – but that figures rises dramatically, to almost 70%, among Brazilians.
That is the principal finding of a survey comparing consumer attitudes in the two major beef-producing countries by Cargill.
Despite an apparent preference for beef to be antibiotic-free, only 35% of shoppers in either country said that they were willing to pay a premium for it. The research surveyed around 2,000 people in the US and Brazil.
“I expect that as American millennials age, we will need to work toward continuously heightening our efforts in the area of transparency, while always working to address consumer food trends with a nutritious and affordable food supply,” said Randy Krotz, CEO of the US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. “Animal feed companies and farmers must continue to find alternatives to meet consumer demand and should be prepared to serve a customer base that scrutinises where their food comes from and how it’s made.”
Cargill has responded to the trend towards antibiotic-free beef by reducing shared-class antibiotics – those used for both animal and human health – by 20% at its four cattle feed yards, as well as at four alliance partner feed yards, representing a total of approximately 1.2 million animals annually.
“Consumer preferences for how beef cattle are raised and fed are evolving,” said Clint Calk, beef commercial director for Cargill Animal Nutrition. “More and more people care not only about the food they eat, but also about what is fed to animals that produce our food. As a result, we are working hard to develop natural alternatives to antibiotics designed to improve sustainability and to answer the call for more options from our customers and consumers.”
“Simply put, we live in a world that will need to feed 9 billion people by 2050, and we are fully committed to doing this in a way that is sustainable and responsible, and in a manner that meets the expectations of consumers both today and tomorrow.”
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