The USDA has announced efforts to promote fair and competitive markets for U.S. producers all while lowering the prices for consumers. A new report took a deep dive into today’s conditions showing the U.S. retail meat industry is especially tough to thrive in.
According to USDA’s Andy Green, “The market has gotten much more concentrated. It’s harder to break in for new, smaller, local, regional processors, producers, others. We also found a range of hidden fees and pricing practices that give us a lot of concerns that might be raising costs on consumers or making it hard for new entrants to come into the market.”
Green says that USDA will soon begin looking into potential regulatory approaches, hoping to assure a fair and competitive market that gives new participants a real, fair shot.
New research taking a look at U.S. consumers’ trust in the meat industry shows that there is plenty of room for improvement.
On a scale of one to five with five being the highest level of trust, scores were lackluster for multiple areas including health and wellness, food safety, and environmental impact, which all rated less than four. The same results, but even slightly lower were seen for animal welfare as well as labor and human rights, rating just above three.
Some of the more recent trends impacting those scores include the critical opinions coming from consumers 18 to 24 years old. The sustainability and social perceptions surrounding plant-based proteins in contrast to animal proteins, and recent declines in food safety and animal welfare.
While the industry faces many challenges the researchers behind the study say that there are still ways to build trust, including consumer engagement.
