French-speaking Belgians continue to savour locally sourced meat, a study commissioned by the Walloon Agency for the Promotion of Quality Agriculture (Apaq-W) revealed on Tuesday.
Out of the 1,000 French-speaking Belgians surveyed, an impressive 97% reported eating meat products in the three months prior. Beef and poultry were the most popular, consumed by 88% of respondents, followed by charcuterie (80%), pork (71%), and lamb (47%).
Three-quarters of the meat-eating Francophones aim to maintain their consumption levels, but more respondents expressed the desire to reduce rather their meat intake (18%) than increase it (9%). Apaq-W observed that whilst “this does not imply a decrease in the number of consumers, it potentially means less meat being eaten.”
However, this trend was reversed when respondents answered on the topic of locally-produced meat, with 20% stating they want to increase their consumption of local meat, whilst just 6% want to cut down.
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Apaq-W suggests the general trend to lower meat consumption may benefit local producers, with a general wish being to reduce meat consumption but increase the amount of meat sourced locally.
The study also surveyed French-speaking Belgians about their consumption of plant-based meat alternatives. It emerged that 40% of respondents who turn towards plant-based alternatives do so in addition to their meat consumption. This proclivity was markedly higher among consumers under 35.
