Study highlights appetite for British red meat in the Middle East market
29th June 2023
Latest consumer research conducted by the AHDB has revealed promising opportunities for British beef and lamb exporters in the Middle East, where quality and halal assurance were key drivers of consumer buying behaviour.
The research involved an online survey of over 2,000 consumers, who were asked about the key buying motivations for beef and lamb. The aim was to explore key motivations when buying red meat across the Middle East, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The work is part of a global study and builds on from previous studies across North America, Southeast Asia and the EU.
Quality was consistently high across all the regions, followed by taste and price value in Europe and North America. Meanwhile, food safety was a top consideration for consumers in Southeast Asia, with the Middle East scoring highly on halal assurance.
In terms of quality, consumers in the Middle East regarded food safety, taste and freshness as key factors for beef and lamb purchases. Moreover, there was particular interest among consumers in the animal slaughter method and how the meat was processed.
Over half (56%) of respondents agreed that “knowing how the animal was slaughtered” was important to them, with 47% stating that “knowing how the meat was processed” was important.
The research identified how critical halal assurance is to consumers in the Middle East, with 76% of consumers agreeing that they trust shops will only sell halal meat. Just under half do not tend to look at the details of the halal certification on packaging because of that trust in shops.
The findings also highlighted that 76% of consumers believe different countries will have different halal standards. As a result, if the source market is prominent on pack, it is critical consumers have trust in halal production standards of that exporting market.
Steven Evans, AHDB lead consumer insight manager, said: “The research across other regions highlighted the importance that exporters harness the strengths of British red meat in their target markets.
“Finding the right messages to amplify the products and justify any premium price positioning can unlock future growth opportunities and further place British meat exporters in a strong position versus competitors.”
Production standards of British beef and lamb are currently well regarded in the Middle East, with 60% of consumers agreeing that standards for red meat are higher in the UK than in other countries. In contrast, only 47% agreed with the same statement in Southeast Asia, and 37% in North America.
When looking at the barriers to purchasing British beef and lamb, price featured heavily. This reinforces the importance of justifying any price premium by communicating around quality, halal assurance and food safety messaging.
The full research on red meat buying behaviours in the Middle East can be found here.
