Adapting to consumer buying behaviour could present opportunities for British beef and lamb exporters in the Middle East.

The latest research carried out by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) explores key consumer buying behaviour for red meat across the Middle East including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It has involved an online survey of over 2,000 consumers who were asked about the key buying motivations for beef and lamb.

The work is part of a global study and builds on from previous studies across North America, Southeast Asia and the EU.

Quality was consistently high across all the regions researched; in the case of Europe and North America it was followed by taste and price value. In Southeast Asia food safety was prominent, while in the Middle East the importance of halal assurance was evident.

The study dug deeper to look at what aspects of quality are important for beef and lamb purchases in the Middle East. It highlighted that food safety, taste and freshness are key messages to reinforce quality.

There was particular interest from consumers in the Middle East on the animal slaughter method and how the meat was processed. Fifty-six per cent of consumers agreed that "knowing how the animal was slaughtered" was important to them, with 47% stating that "knowing how the meat was processed" was important.

The research identified how critical halal assurance is to consumers in the Middle East, with 76% of consumers agreeing that they trust shops will only sell halal meat. Just under half do not tend to look at the details of the halal certification on packaging because of that trust in shops.

The findings also highlighted that 76% of consumers believe different countries will have different halal standards. As a result, if the source market is prominent on pack, it is critical consumers have trust in halal production standards of that exporting market.

Steven Evans, AHDB Lead Consumer Insight Manager, said: "The research across other regions highlighted the importance that exporters harness the strengths of British red meat in their target markets.

"Finding the right messages to amplify the products and justify any premium price positioning can unlock future growth opportunities and further place British meat exporters in a strong position versus competitors."

Production standards of British beef and lamb are currently well regarded in the Middle East, with 60% of consumers agreeing with the statement "British Red Meat has higher production standards compared to red meat from other countries". This was higher compared to the average seen in Southeast Asia (47%) and North America (37%).

When looking at the barriers to purchasing British beef and lamb, price featured heavily. This reinforces the importance of justifying any price premium by communicating around quality, halal assurance and food safety messaging.

The full research on red meat buying behaviours in the Middle East can be found here.