Today’s Pennsylvania Beef Consumer, Winter 2023 Update

Bedford, PA – To target the unique demands and preferences of Pennsylvania consumers more effectively, the Pennsylvania Beef Council, through partnership with the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner Market Research Team conducted the 2023 Pennsylvania Dashboard Survey in August. The survey revealed insights surrounding Pennsylvania consumers and their perceptions surrounding beef and beef production.

At a glance, the key findings of the survey include:

  • Pennsylvanians enjoy eating beef, as most consumers (76%) eat beef at least once a week and plan to maintain these consumption levels.
    • These consumers may be inspired to eat beef more often by having access to kid-friendly recipe ideas that provide clear instructions and related cooking safety tips, along with learning more about local beef producers and where their beef comes from.
  • Taste is the main factor considered when deciding to have a meal with protein, followed by protein source and nutritional values.
  • Consumers in Pennsylvania express positive feelings towards beef’s eating experience and versatility, but lower agreement is seen around nutrition and health-related factors and raising beef for food.
  • 29% of Pennsylvania consumers have purchased beef directly from a beef producer at least once. The main driver is to receive a better-quality product, followed by the desire to support the local economy.
  • 56% of Pennsylvania consumers have not previously but would consider purchasing beef directly from a beef producer, with 33% of them living in a suburban area.

The key areas of opportunity for the Beef Checkoff in Pennsylvania include sharing easy-to-follow and nutritious recipe ideas to demonstrate ways to include beef in a healthy diet, highlighting different cuts of beef that can be incorporated into various meal options, creating kid-friendly beef recipe inspiration to highlight beef’s versatility for the whole family, continuing to educate consumers and increase transparency on the production practices surrounding raising beef for food to boost general knowledge levels and improve perceptions along with trust in the beef industry. We will also continue to highlight the Pennsylvania Beef Directory as an online resource for locating local beef producers across the region. Sharing producer stories will also aid in humanizing the industry and show consumers where their beef comes from.

A high-level recap of the Survey Findings can be found, here.

Please reach out directly to Kaitlyn Swope, Director of Consumer Affairs, kswope@pabeef.org to request the full report.

For more information about beef promotion in Pennsylvania, visit PABeef.org

Stay connected with the Pennsylvania Beef Council Facebook and Instagram pages to see how beef is actively being promoted among target audiences.

The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff.  All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.