Periodic Reporting for period 2 - mEATquality (Linking extensive husbandry practices to the intrinsic quality of pork and broiler meat)
Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2024-09-30
The European meat processing sector involves around 38,000 businesses, mainly SMEs, generating an annual turnover of 22 billion Euros, employing 800,000 people. Although meat consumption per capita in the EU has been increasing for many years, the EU’s Agricultural Outlook predicts a turning point within the coming years as a result of significant changes in dietary patterns. The European Animal Task Force stated during a special seminar in 2017 that “More than ever, a greater focus on animal derived food integrity (safety, authenticity and quality of products, but also their extrinsic value) is needed to secure Europe’s role as a leading global provider for safe and healthy animal derived products and help European food systems earn consumer trust”. Consumers generally believe that extensive production is synonymous to better product quality. This holds particularly for livestock species such as pigs and broilers that are kept at relatively high stocking density. However, to what extent the extensiveness of animal husbandry affects intrinsic meat quality is still to be confirmed. As credence attributes cannot be assessed by consumers, any property or claim that can add value to a product would be reflected through labeling or marketing thereof. As a result, this makes the product vulnerable to fraud as similar cheaper or inferior products could be misleadingly sold as ‘authentic’ at a higher price. For this reason, the authentication and traceability of products are becoming increasingly important, not only to ensure fair pricing and transparency, but also food safety. The time is right to speed up the development of scientific knowledge in the above areas, and make a change. Hence, the overall aim of mEATquality is to provide consumers with quality pork and broiler meat, by developing scientific knowledge and novel solutions with farmers and chain partners to address societal demands, environmental concerns and economic needs.
To achieve this a variety of production systems are assessed, ranging from conventional to organic and from intensive to extensive. Stakeholders in the broiler and pork production chain are involved: farmers, slaughterhouses, meat processors and retailers.
To achieve this a variety of production systems are assessed, ranging from conventional to organic and from intensive to extensive. Stakeholders in the broiler and pork production chain are involved: farmers, slaughterhouses, meat processors and retailers.
To set the scene, reviews of the available scientific literature were published on the relationships between pig and broiler husbandry on one side, and meat quality on the other. They address the likely effects of the elements of extensive production: space availability and quality, nutrition and genetics. These review papers are the basis for the work in next steps of the project.
Subsequently, surveys on the variation in broiler and pig husbandry factors that may affect meat quality were performed. Data were collected on up to 20 farms in each of 4 large pig producing countries: Italy and Spain (for organic pig farming) and Poland and Denmark (conventional pig farming). In 2 large broiler producing countries, Poland and Germany, 60 farmers were identified and data is collected. The Netherlands was excluded from farm visits due to ongoing Avian Influenza outbreaks, which led to more work done in Poland and Germany. The selected farms differ in the extensiveness of their husbandry practices. Production data, environmental information, economic data and animal welfare over the different husbandry systems is evaluated.
In addition, a state-of-the-art review was written on the relationships between husbandry practices, intrinsic product quality and meat authenticity. The review was combined with food fraud vulnerability assessments to identify factors that are important to ensure authenticity along the meat chain. In addition, to support future activities of the project, meat quality assessments protocols were developed and standardized across the different laboratories involved in the project.
The work on consumers started with an inventory of consumer perception of meat quality characteristics, which was submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Also consumer acceptance and expectations of Blockchain Technology were investigated through consumer surveys, and a scientific manuscript of this work was submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
Other activities that the project consortium engaged in where the development of a 'Data warehouse' (all collected data throughout the project is stored here), and the publication of a communication strategy and communication tools such as a website (https://meatquality.eu/(opens in new window)) newsletters and promotion materials.
Subsequently, surveys on the variation in broiler and pig husbandry factors that may affect meat quality were performed. Data were collected on up to 20 farms in each of 4 large pig producing countries: Italy and Spain (for organic pig farming) and Poland and Denmark (conventional pig farming). In 2 large broiler producing countries, Poland and Germany, 60 farmers were identified and data is collected. The Netherlands was excluded from farm visits due to ongoing Avian Influenza outbreaks, which led to more work done in Poland and Germany. The selected farms differ in the extensiveness of their husbandry practices. Production data, environmental information, economic data and animal welfare over the different husbandry systems is evaluated.
In addition, a state-of-the-art review was written on the relationships between husbandry practices, intrinsic product quality and meat authenticity. The review was combined with food fraud vulnerability assessments to identify factors that are important to ensure authenticity along the meat chain. In addition, to support future activities of the project, meat quality assessments protocols were developed and standardized across the different laboratories involved in the project.
The work on consumers started with an inventory of consumer perception of meat quality characteristics, which was submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Also consumer acceptance and expectations of Blockchain Technology were investigated through consumer surveys, and a scientific manuscript of this work was submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
Other activities that the project consortium engaged in where the development of a 'Data warehouse' (all collected data throughout the project is stored here), and the publication of a communication strategy and communication tools such as a website (https://meatquality.eu/(opens in new window)) newsletters and promotion materials.
Step 1: investigated extensive husbandry factors in relation to intrinsic meat quality, through data collection on conventional, free-range and organic farms, and through consumer expectation studies.
Step 2: included controlled experiments on-farm to investigate intrinsic meat quality characteristics in relation to husbandry factors such as genetics, feed, space and stress. Also innovative techniques for automated meat quality assessment at high line speeds were developed, and combated food fraud through authentication of the final product via ‘fingerprinting techniques’ and Blockchain technology.
Step 3: checked the novel farming practices against sustainability aspects: animal welfare, life cycle assessments and economic viability. Market acceptance of the new products and ways to communicate them to consumers was studied.
Step 4: communication and dissemination of the results started.
Step 2: included controlled experiments on-farm to investigate intrinsic meat quality characteristics in relation to husbandry factors such as genetics, feed, space and stress. Also innovative techniques for automated meat quality assessment at high line speeds were developed, and combated food fraud through authentication of the final product via ‘fingerprinting techniques’ and Blockchain technology.
Step 3: checked the novel farming practices against sustainability aspects: animal welfare, life cycle assessments and economic viability. Market acceptance of the new products and ways to communicate them to consumers was studied.
Step 4: communication and dissemination of the results started.