Attitudes and beliefs of consumers towards pig welfare and pork quality

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of consumer attitudes and beliefs regarding pig welfare and quality of pork meat. Regarding animal welfare, several aspects of farm management and practice were considered, with an emphasis on alternatives to surgical castration without pain control, such as entire male production, castration with anaesthesia and immunocastration. Organic production was also considered. For meat quality, aspects of sensory quality were studied, specifically those related to boar taint, again including organically produced meat. A wide variety of consumer attitudes and beliefs are revealed in these studies as being strongly dependent on culture and influenced by information provided. These insights can be used when producing and commercializing pork and pork products as well as when developing marketing strategies to reach various consumers and satisfy market demands.