| Consumer
preferences—Consumers tend to view beef as
a special occasion food, to be eaten in restaurants or
served at special meals at home. Household shoppers look
for beef that appears and smells fresh. Most consumers,
except for the sophisticated urban elite, do not have
much awareness of different cuts of beef, marbling, and
other characteristics. Chinese households, even urban
residents with high incomes, spend a large portion of
disposable income on food. Consumers are price-sensitive,
even higher income consumers, but urban consumers with
higher incomes are beginning to show a willingness to
pay more for beef that is government certified as hygienic.
Many shoppers, especially urban residents, are also increasingly
interested in buying convenience foods. Beef that is pre-sliced
and ready-to-cook (in traditional Chinese dishes) appeals
to many consumers.
|
Chinese families
tend to perceive beef as a healthy food, a meat that
is lower in fat than pork and one that will contribute
to bigger, stronger children. Chinese also traditionally
categorize beef as a “hot” food, that is,
a food that warms the body. Hence, the demand for beef,
including tripe and other types of beef offal, is higher
in the winter.
Most household consumers cook beef at home in stewed
dishes. Restaurants serve beef in stewed dishes, as
a cold, sliced appetizer, sliced and stir-fried with
selected vegetables, and in other dishes. Some restaurants
serve beef as an ingredient in “hot pot,”
a fondue-type meal especially popular during the winter.
Diners “swish” thinly sliced meats and vegetables
in a pot of boiling broth at the table. This dish is
best prepared with tender, marbled beef and is, therefore,
one of the main dishes prepared with imported beef from
the United States. |
