Taiwanese consumers are most influenced by television advertising when it com...

Taiwanese consumers are most influenced by television advertising when it comes to buying beef, the majority in future will want to know where the beef they consume comes from and 74 percent will or are likely to buy and eat U.S. beef after the import ban is lifted.

These are the results of a consumer survey conducted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) at Taiwan’s premier food show. Food Taipei 2004. The show provided an excellent opportunity for USMEF to survey the 50,000 attendees on their attitude to U.S. beef and the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) question. More than 1,000 people participated in the survey and the results showed that younger people were more likely to eat beef and a smaller number than ever (18 percent) eat no beef as Taiwan’s traditional eating patterns are changing.

Less than half the people in the survey said that news reports on BSE strongly influenced their beef buying in restaurants and supermarkets. To entice Taiwanese consumers back to U.S. beef, the survey found that special offers on price (47 percent), cooking and tasting demonstrations (34 percent) and free giveaways (12 percent) would be the best inducements.

Detailed results of the survey as are as follows:

Survey of Taiwanese Consumers At Food Taipei 2004

1.       How does the BSE related news influence your shopping beef in traditional market or supermarket?

• Very highly:                                     19%
• Highly:                                            30%
• Average:                                          31%
• Low:                                               11%
• Very low:                                          9%

2.       How does the BSE related news influence your shopping beef in restaurants?

• Very highly:                                     18%
• Highly:                                              27%
• Average:                                          33%
• Low:                                                 12%
• Very low:                                         10%

3.       Will you care about the place of origin while consuming beef in restaurant, supermarket, or traditional market?

• Yes:                                                53%
• Probably:                                         26%
• Not sure:                                          11%
• Should be not:                                    4%
• No:                                                     6%

4.       Will you still buy US beef in supermarket or traditional market after being aware of BSE news?

• Yes:                                                49%
• Probably:                                            0%
• Not sure:                                          24%
• Should be not:                                 15%
• No:                                                 12%

5.   Will you still buy US beef in restaurant after being aware of BSE news?

• Yes:                                                  25%
• Probably:                                          28%
• Not sure:                                           22%
• Should be not:                                   13%
• No:                                                   12%

6.   Will you continue to buy or consume US beef after the ban on US beef is lifted?

• Yes:                                                39%
• Probably:                                          35%
• Not sure:                                          17%
• Should be not:                                     4%
• No:                                                     5%

7.   What kind of activity do you think could enhance your willingness of buying or consuming beef most?

• A special offer on price:                    47%
• Free giveaway:                                 12%
• Cooking demo/tasting:                      34%
• Charity activity:                                  7 %

8.       Which mass medium do you think has most influence on your beef consuming willingness?

• TV advertisement:                            75%
• Newspaper advertisement:              14%
• Radio advertisement:                         4%
• Bus/Metro advertisement:                  3%
• Outdoor billboard:                              4%

In 2003, the U.S. beef industry exported 19,225 mt valued at $76.5 million to Taiwan, its 9th largest export market. Annual U.S. beef exports to Taiwan have totaled between 5,000 and just over 20,000 metric tons in the last decade:

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by the USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.