Meat production and sustainability: Spanish consumers’ perception

The meat sector is of significant economic importance to Spain. However, it is equally imperative that this sector operates in a manner that is both responsible and environmentally sustainable. The objective of this study was to determine the most valued sustainability attributes of the meat industry by consumers, with a view to enhancing the communication policy of companies. This work reduces the gap in how meat companies can connect their sustainability actions with consumers' concerns. A study was conducted to obtain Spanish consumers' opinions on evaluating thirteen sustainability attributes in the meat industry. This was achieved by means of a questionnaire (n = 505). The results obtained demonstrated a high level of interest in sustainable development. Furthermore, social responsibility aspects, particularly those related to the safety of the workplace, are of particular significance when compared to environmental and corporate sustainability parameters. Kruskal-Wallis test showed a higher concern of sustainable attributes in women compared to men. The segmentation analysis by K-means procedure showed three differentiated groups: proactives, conscious and skeptical. Based on these findings, interesting insights can be applied to communication strategies in meat firms.