Cargill Feed for Thought Survey: U.S., Brazilian consumers more likely to buy beef raised without antibiotics

54 percent of Americans and 69 percent of Brazilians favor antibiotic-free beef, while 35 percent in each country willing to pay more

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Cargill

Aug 23, 2016, 09:00 ET

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Surveys comparing consumer attitudes in the two largest beef-producing countries – the United States and Brazil – reveals several important trends in purchasing preference that are influenced by how beef is raised and fed.

Cargill's 'Feed for Thought' survey of more than 2,000 people in the U.S. and Brazil, found that the majority of U.S. consumers (54 percent) and Brazilian consumers (69 percent) are more likely to purchase beef raised without antibiotics. Only 35 percent in both countries are willing to pay more for it.

People are more likely to purchase antibiotic-free beef

"I expect that as American Millennials age, we will need to work toward continuously heightening our efforts in the area of transparency, while always working to address consumer food trends with a nutritious and affordable food supply," said Randy Krotz, CEO of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. "Animal feed companies and farmers must continue to find alternatives to meet consumer demand and should be prepared to serve a customer base that scrutinizes where their food comes from and how it's made."

Recognizing this consumer trend, Cargill's beef business in the U.S. recently reduced shared-class antibiotics – those used for both animal and human health – by 20 percent at its four cattle feed yards, as well as at four alliance partner feed yards, representing a total of approximately 1.2 million animals annually.

Cargill Animal Nutrition sits at the heart of the food supply chain, playing an important role in sourcing the right ingredients and using its global research, technology and innovation expertise to produce feed that meets distinct nutrition requirements for animals to be cared for in a manner that its customers expect.

"Consumer preferences for how beef cattle are raised and fed are evolving," said Clint Calk, beef commercial director, Cargill Animal Nutrition. "More and more people care not only about the food they eat, but also about what is fed to animals that produce our food. As a result, we are working hard to develop natural alternatives to antibiotics designed to improve sustainability and to answer the call for more options from our customers and consumers."

Cargill Animal Nutrition has worked closely with its customers to develop important feed ingredient alternatives such as essential oils, yeasts and other naturally occurring plant extracts as a way to improve animal wellbeing and to reduce antibiotic use.

Cargill supports antibiotic reductions and is committed to the judicious therapeutic use of animal antibiotics to treat sick animals and help maintain the safety of our world food supply. Cargill also is committed to transparency in antibiotic use, and will continue to research and develop new alternatives.

"Simply put, we live in a world that will need to feed 9 billion people by 2050, and we are fully committed to doing this in a way that is sustainable and responsible, and in a manner that meets the expectations of consumers both today and tomorrow," Calk said.

About Cargill Animal Nutrition's Feed for Thought Survey
Feed for Thought is a regular consumer survey effort from Cargill Animal Nutrition that explores key perceptions and opinions about important topics in the animal protein supply chain. The online survey for Cargill Animal Nutrition was conducted by ORC International. The U.S. survey was conducted July 11-13, 2016, and polled a demographically representative sample of 1,016 U.S. adults. The Brazilian survey was conducted July 15-20, 2016, and polled a demographically representative sample of 1,003 Brazilian adults.

About Cargill
Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and 150 years of experience. We have 150,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

About Cargill Animal Nutrition
Cargill's animal nutrition business has more than 20,000 employees at more than 275 facilities in 40 countries. Fueled by our innovation and research, we offer a range of products and services to feed manufacturers, animal producers, and feed retailers around the world, helping put food on the plates of nearly one billion people around the world every day. Cargill's animal nutrition business offers a range of compound feed, premixes, feed additives, supply chain and risk management solutions, software tools and animal nutrition expertise that is unmatched in the industry. For more information about Cargill Animal Nutrition, visit: http://www.cargill.com/feed.

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