Office for Environmental Programs - Theses

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The farmers, their brand, the market and the consumer: consumer preferences for beef produced with an Environmental Management System

Cuthbertson, Bronwyn ( 2006)

In light of the growing public awareness of the environmental impacts of food production, this paper explores the question: Is there a relationship between branded environmental labelling on beef and purchasing decisions? The research considers how consumers' professed attitudes to the environmental impacts of farming affect their attitudes to eco-labelled beef products that are produced using a certified on-farm Environmental Management System. The research concludes that there is a relationship between environmental labelling and consumers' decision to purchase beef. This relationship is related to consumers' attitudes towards the impact that beef farming has on the environment and their level of trust in the producer. The research also finds that the participating consumers were confused about the meaning of terms that are used on product labels and that respondents did not clearly understand the concept of Environmental Management Systems. The findings suggest that effort should be directed into informing the public about how Environmental Management Systems mitigate the impacts of beef production on the environment.