A survey on rabbit meat perception and consumption in seven countries

The aim ofthe study was toexamine the rabbit consumption habits and opinions ofpeople living incountries that regularly consume rabbit meat. Snowball sampling ofdata collection was used, atotal of1860 error-free questionnaires were evaluated. Most ofthe completed questionnaires came from Hungary, Italy, Spain, China, Poland, France and Mexico. Itistonote that 21.3% ofrespondents have not yet consumed rabbit meat: China (32.1%), Hungary (24.7%), Poland (22.4%), and France (4.8%). The main reasons for not consuming rabbit meat were emotional reasons (22.3%), itdoes not fit their dietary habits (15.7%). There are 28.7% ofrespondents who consume rabbit meat once ortwice ayear, 18.6% less often and 21.9% monthly. Itwas most often (weekly and monthly) consumed inSpain (25.3% and 36.8%), inItaly (15.3% and 36.2%), inFrance (1.6% and 38.7%, respectively). Men, aged 40 to59, secondary school graduates, and those having ahigher income eat rabbit meat more often than other groups. The highest scores (near to4.5 ona1-5 scale) were given for the health aspects ofrabbit meat, such ashigh protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins, and low fat and cholesterol contents. Inorder toencourage the consumption ofrabbit meat, different marketing campaigns should becarried out ineach country, depending onthe standard ofliving, production intensity (large-scale orsmall-scale) and place ofpurchase (supermarket orlocal market). It is paramount tomake the younger generation aware ofthe excellent and health-protective properties ofrabbit meat.