Consumer Awareness, Attitudes, and Preferences towards Rabbit Meat Sausages in Marikina City

Date

12-2019

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Rachelle A. Mariano

Committee Member

Jewel Joanna S. Cabardo, Renen Szilardo C. De Guzman, Agnes T. Banzon, Normito R. Zapata

Abstract

The rabbit meat industry in the Philippines was booming in the 1970s to 1980s. With the assistance of government programs regarding the rabbits in 1970 to help boost the Philippine economy, farming was done all throughout the country. Although, it became more popular with restaurants, hotels, other institutions, and the Chinese instead of the Filipinos and its’ households. This is because Filipinos, compared to these institutions and nationals, did not accept rabbit meat that much. Therefore, not long after, the industry declined because it was unprofitable, lacks advertising, has limited or no market at all, etc. and so, until now, Filipinos see rabbits more like pets than foods. (Albano, 2000)

Despite this fact, the consumption of rabbit meat, as of the present, is picking up due to its’ physiological and nutritional benefits that are better than poultry and swine. In Bulacan, there are a significant number of existing farms that are dedicated to rabbit meat production, and one of them is AVEN Nature’s Farm. This farm who is owned and managed by Mr. Veneracion together with his wife recognized that the main problem in introducing rabbit meat to the market is its’ association with pets. So, they decided to change the way it is presented to the market. As of the present, they were the first farm to be able to develop rabbit meat into processed products such as sausages, “embutido” and jerky with help of the Animal Product and Development Center (APDC).

With the focus on rabbit meat sausage, this study aimed to determine consumer awareness, attitude, and preferences towards processed rabbit meat products in Marikina City. Specifically, it intended to describe the profile of the current and potential consumers, describe consumer purchasing and consumption behavior for processed meat, determine the level of awareness of consumers towards processed rabbit meat products, discuss the consumer attitudes, opinions, perceptions, and acceptability towards rabbit meat sausage, analyze the consumer preference for quality attributes of rabbit meat products, and recommend marketing strategies for AVEN Nature’s Farm.

A consumer survey was conducted with 70 respondents. The survey was done to determine the level of awareness, the consumer and purchasing behavior, and the attitude and perception of the respondents towards processed meat, rabbit meat, and rabbit meat sausage. To analyze the gathered data, descriptive data analysis such as frequency counts and percentage distribution was used. A focus group discussion (FGD) was also conducted to make sure that the generated questionnaire considers the important factors in marketing processed meat products and in order to gain insights on the participants’ perception of the product before and after product testing. Also, Mr. Veneracion was interviewed to know the process of producing rabbit meat and rabbit meat sausage.

On the consumer survey, the average age, monthly income/allowance, and household size of respondents is thirty-four (34), PhP 7,660.34, and six (6) household members respectively. More than half are female, single, Catholic, and have graduated high school. Out of the 70 respondents, only five (5) are aware of rabbit meat and two (2) are aware of rabbit meat sausage. Though sixty-one (61) or 87.14% of the respondents eat sausages, not one of them eats rabbit meat and rabbit meat sausage. When they were asked why some mentioned that they prefer taking care of it as pets.

When the respondents when asked how often do they consume sausages, thirty-four (34) of them stated that they only eat when they want to. They mostly consume sausages made of pork and variants such as chicken hotdog, bologna, and Hungarian sausage. Within a day, breakfast is when almost half of the respondents eat sausages. Also, almost half prefer eating it with rice, followed by just the sausage itself. The top three processed meat products that the respondents usually buy, are Ham, hotdogs/sausages/longganisa, and “embutido”. Their preferred place of purchase is public markets, followed by supermarkets.

Among the product attributes of processed meat products, results showed that appearance is considered very important. The next is taste, aroma, price, color, nutritional value, texture, and size. On label preferences, 67.65% of the respondents look for nutritional value or facts and 47.83% of them look for accreditations or certifications. For the price of PhP 850.00 per kilo, only eight (8) of them are willing to purchase it. However, if the price is not more than PhP 199.00, forty-one (41) of them are willing to.

On the FGD that was composed of five (5) participants who are health-conscious, of different religions, and coming from far-away provinces, some were already aware that rabbit meat can be eaten, with one having the chance to eat and cook one while the other just recently bought a pair for the same purpose. At first, the rest of those who were not aware was momentarily shaken, but as the other knowledgeable participants share what they know about rabbit meat, they slowly became receptive to the idea of consuming one.

However, once they were shown the actual raw and cooked rabbit meat sausage, they were again taken aback and was hesitant to try it at first. Though once tried, a few mentioned that it tastes just like an ordinary sausage while the rest agreed with a nod of their head.

For the product attributes, its’ spiciness and tenderness are what they all commented on, and when asked about the rabbit meat sausage’s nutritional benefits, most of them do not have an idea. But once discussed, the participants started leaning into the possibility of consuming one. Nevertheless, at its current price of PhP 850.00 per kilo, the FGD participants are not willing to purchase it as of the moment. They said that they are only willing to on special occasions.

Overall, rabbit meat sausage was found to be comparable to existing sausages in the market in terms of its’ product attributes such as its appearance, aroma, and taste, but not on its current price. So, it was suggested that they emphasize its’ nutritional benefits in its promotional strategies to be able to position it higher than the rest. Then, they should adapt the mark-up pricing for the farm to be able to continue production and earn profits. Improvements regarding its’ attributes were also given based on the respondents’ comments and suggestions about it. Then, other aspects of introductory marketing strategies were also proposed.

Language

English

LC Subject

Rabbit meat industry, Consumer behavior--Social aspects

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993 2019 M17 S35

Notes

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Document Type

Thesis

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