Meat and the consumer (11-14 Years)

A consumer is the user or buyer of a service or product. A retailer is the person or organisation who sells goods to the public from premises such as shops and supermarkets. Meat is a food commodity sold by retailers to consumers.

Most consumers have particular likes and dislikes. Retailers offer consumers a range of products to choose from. Consumers therefore have to make decisions and choices such as:

• What they want to buy and why
• Which product will best meet their needs

This module is about the different factors that consumers need to take into consideration. 

Key messages

• A consumer is the user of buyer of a service or product. A retailers is a person or organisation who sells goods to the public from a premises.
• A range of considerations affect consumers choice of meat and the cut of meat.
• Market research companies provide information on factors influencing consumer product choice and trends in purchasing.
• Meat is available to purchase from butchers and supermarkets. Different opportunities and constraints apply to each retailer.
• Food labelling provides consumers with essential product information. There are legal requirements for labelling on food products.

Classroom activities

• Ask students to conduct their own market research by completing the worksheet Survey of meat purchased. Students could create graphs using the information collected. Students could repeat the survey during a different season of the year to determine any seasonal differences.
• Challenge students to design consumer-friendly packaging for a meat dish they will be making. Ask the students to ensure they have included the legally required labelling information.
• Invite a local butcher as a guest speaker to explain more about his job and the support he provides consumers.