ENHANCING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF POULTRY MEAT FROM ExTENSIVE HOUSING SYSTEMS

Abstract

Increasing living standard and purchasing power, various health crises and increased concern about animal welfare have shifted consumers attention towards rearing systems and feeding methods and towards the reliability of information and the veracity of labels. Research done decade ago showed that consumers in Serbia, like in other countries, were extremely enthusiastic about the systems in which chickens are reared, their welfare, nutrition etc. They believed that poultry meat from extensive housing systems was healthier, more tasteful and they were ready to pay a higher price for this kind of meat if such products were appropriately controlled and labeled. Despite all that, the extensive housing systems and market opportunities are not yet fully exploited in Serbia. In this paper, the authors have repeated the above mention research in Novi Sad and area nearby (300 respondents) and have compared consumers perception now and ten years ago in order to investigate the consumers perceptions and possibilities of enhancing the competitiveness of poultry meat from extensive housing systems.

Keywords

• Poultry meat, extensive housing systems, consumers perception.