South Korean Hotel Meat Buyers' Perceptions of Australian, Canadian and U.S. Beef

Abstract

This study conducted in November 1995 evaluates Korean attitudes towards Canadian beef relative to competing beef from the United States and Australia using a stated preference methodology. Executive chefs and purchasing managers from major 4‐star and 5‐star hotels in South Korea were interviewed. Koren buyers (chefs and purchasing managers) strongly prefer beef from the US with quality similar to US prime. For a comparable high quality beef product from Canada or the US the estimated model predicts there is a 28% chance of the aggregate group choosing Canadian beef versus a 49% chance of this same group choosing US beef. It will generally require significant price cuts or other major marketing efforts to influence non‐Korean chefs and Korean purchasing managers to purchase Canadian beef versus US beef.