JAFSCD: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. Publication of the Thomas A. Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems

South Carolina livestock producers are expanding their operations to include local meat sales, with a sizeable number of farmers entering the market for the first time. Little is known about South Caro­lina’s local meat consumers and their buying pref­er­ences. This study aims to identify the demo­graphic traits of local meat consumers, their pre­ferred local meat product attributes, their desired purchasing locations, and a range of prices con­sumers are willing to pay for local meat. This study surveyed 1,048 South Carolina meat consumers. Of these survey respondents, 741 had consumed local meat products within the last 12 months and 307 had not. Results indicate that local meat consumers tend to be younger, reside in larger households, have higher household incomes, and have greater educational attainment. They also may be more likely to be long-term residents of South Carolina. These consumers are willing to pay a 1% to 24% premium for local meats to be eaten at home and US$1.00 to US$1.99 more per entrée for local meats at a restaurant. The most desirable attributes of local meat are hormone-free, all-natural, no anti­biotics, and grass-fed. The most popular buying locations are the grocery store, directly from farms, farmers markets, butcher shops, and online order­ing. Most consumers are unwilling to drive more than 20 miles (32 km) to purchase local meat. The study also uncovered barriers to consumers’ will­ingness to purchase (or purchase more) local meats: product unavailability, high prices, food safety concerns, convenience, and ease of prepara­tion.

Considering the growing consumer demand for local food products in the United States, several restaurants are seeking to include locally sourced meat and seafood products on their menus. Despite this trend, limited research has examined what factors encourage or discourage restaurants from purchasing or purchasing more local proteins. This study extends the literature by investigating what traits are desired and what barriers exist when purchasing local proteins for restaurant procurers (those tasked with purchasing ingredients), utilizing data from an online survey. The results indicate that the top three desired traits for locally raised meats (beef, pork, chicken) are naturally grown, hormone-free, and organic. The most important traits for seafood (fish, crab, shrimp, and oysters) are the different certifications (i.e., Marine Stewardship Council, state/local certification, and Aquaculture Stewardship Council). The most common barriers are inconsistent quality, high cost, limited availability, and further processing needs. Results from a logistic regression suggest that restaurants characterized by fewer seats, higher entrée prices, and longer tenure are more likely to purchase local proteins. Restaurants willing to pay more for local proteins tend to be full-service types, have fewer seats, have higher entrée prices, serve other local foods, and cater to both tourists and residents.

First paragraph: This article is a summary of six months of research on how COVID-19 has affected South Carolina oyster aquaculture farms. This research has four goals: to better understand oyster consumption and purchases, to assess the impact of COVID-19 restaurant closures and reduced seating capacity on oyster consumption, to forecast oyster consumption trends, and to discover methods for marketing oysters for home consumption. . . .