Beef salience, relevance and determinance for consumers in Dracena – São Paulo State: a new methodological approach

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the beef salience, relevance, and determinance for consumers in Dracena – São Paulo State (Brazil), through two measurement methods. The salience was determined by Free Elicitation Method (FEM), relevance and determinance were calculated using the Multinomial Logit Model, with Case 2 Best-Worst Discrete Choice Experiment (EEDMP) data. To compare the determinance, preferences were also estimated by the Probit model, based on beef purchase intentions. At the time of purchase, the most salient attribute is the meat’s color, while the flavor and texture are the most salient attributes in the consumption. Results also show discrepancies between the determinance obtained by EEDMP and purchase intentions. The expressed preferences of purchasing intentions are closer to the specialized literature, which states that tasty, tender and bright red beef is the most appreciated among consumers. It is still premature to make recommendations on concatenated use of FEM and EEDMP to estimate the three characteristics’ dimensions of a product, such as beef.