Preferences for lamb meat: A choice experiment for Spanish consumers

This paper analyzes consumersʹ preferences for different lamb meat attributes using a choice experiment. In particular, preferences for the type of commercial lamb meat (“Ternasco” and “Suckling”) and the origin of production (locally produced “Ojinegra from Teruel”) were evaluated. Moreover, we endogenously identify consumersʹ segments based on consumersʹ preferences for the analyzed attributes. Data come from a survey administrated in Spain during 2009. A latent class model was used to estimate the effect of the attributes on consumer utility, derive the willingness to pay and determine consumersʹ segments. Results suggest that consumersʹ preferences for both attributes are heterogeneous and two homogenous consumersʹ segments were detected. The largest segment (79%) did not value any of the analyzed attributes while the smaller one (21%) valued both of them positively. In particular, consumers in this second segment are willing to pay an extra premium for the “Ternasco” lamb meat, around double the premium they are willing to pay for the locally produced lamb meat “Ojinegra from Teruel”.