Scots Go Scotch During Lockdown

Research by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and ScotPulse can reveal that eight out of ten Scots eat red meat at least once per week and three in four of those are happy to pay more for better quality products.

The study was conducted after a burst of promotional activity by QMS in March and April, ahead of the launch of a STV advertising partnership which aims to highlight the versatility of Scotch red meat to consumers.

The findings reflect the country’s pride for having world class meat products on its doorstep, as three quarters of people agreed that they actively try and buy locally produced Scottish red meat.

Figures also showed that only one in twenty respondents think Scottish red meat is too expensive for them, meanwhile over half (59%) feel it is worth paying extra for, and seven out of ten are interested in health and nutrition and agree it is important that the meat they are buying comes from farms with sustainable animal welfare procedures in place.

Lesley Cameron, Director of Marketing and Communications at QMS, said: “This research clearly highlights that Scottish consumers still hold Scotch meat in high regard and continue to place great importance on the red meat they buy being of high quality and from local, sustainable sources.

“In spite of the challenges Covid-19 has presented to the Scottish red meat industry, it is pleasing to see that our work to promote Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork across Scotland has not gone unnoticed.

“We would urge consumers to continue to support the hard work our processors, auctioneers, butchers and farmers are doing up and down the nation to keep quality, nutritious red meat on their plates.”

The STV advertising partnership has been running in conjunction with a national ‘Make It’ campaign, developed in partnership with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), which has been working to promote British beef after the effects Covid-19 has had on the British red meat industry.

During this challenging period QMS has also been promoting the work of Scotch butchers and food suppliers that have changed their business models to deliver meat to customers in need, as well as profiling farmers for human interest stories about how industry practitioners are responding to COVID-19.

Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork are produced to the highest of welfare standards and reared from trusted Scottish farms which undergo the strictest of hygiene and quality measures, so consumers can be assured they are cooking with meat they can trust.

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