Differences in Consumer Preferences for Lamb Meat before and during the Economic Crisis in Spain. Analysis and Perspectives

Determining the preferences of food consumers is key for adapting supply and demand. This adaptation of supply is dynamic rather than static, given that it develops over time and is influenced by both social and economic factors. This work presents an analysis of the development of lamb meat consumption at two points in time, 2004 and 2014, before and in the midst of the economic crisis in Spain (2007-2017). Our findings show that together with the external appearance and against the backdrop of an economic recession, price has a greater impact on consumers' purchasing decisions than origin and quality seals, despite these being attributes that are traditionally used as a guarantee of food safety and traceability. This suggests that in times of economic crisis consumer preferences shift towards attributes that are less related to product quality. Nonetheless, the comparison of the consumer segments for each of the years under study revealed that age and level of education are the socioeconomic factors that most influence the preferences of lamb meat consumers.