Abstract

While the safety of food animal products produced in the United States has not been a major concern to most consumers, more recent issues discussed in scientific journals and in newspapers may have generated more consumer interest. This study investigates consumer attitudes toward the consumption of various types of food animals, as well as concerns regarding the use of additives in the form of growth hormones and antibiotics to produce food animals. Cluster analysis and discriminant analysis were employed to identify and profile market segments found in data from a Midwestern test market city. The findings support theory regarding different levels of consumer concern relating to consumption behavior and demographics.