Industry overview
What is shaping meat & poultry
Meat, poultry and egg businesses are moving from wet markets to packaged and online formats, where hygiene, freshness and trust decide whether consumers switch.
- Packaged and online meat is growing
- Hygiene perceptions drive outlet choice
- Farm practices affect supply and quality
Client background
A meat processing and export company, working in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia & Indonesia. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A meat processing and export company
- Sector
- Meat & poultry
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Business panel, Qualitative research, Research consultancy
Client challenge
The company wanted to grow exports of chilled and frozen meat, but faced strong competition from established suppliers in Australia, Brazil and New Zealand. It did not know how buyers compared suppliers or which certifications and product specifications mattered most in each market.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: understanding halal meat buyers in Gulf and South-East Asian markets.
- Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 8 weeks.
Target audience
Scope: 30 interviews, 120 survey responses.
Audiences we typically reach in meat & poultry
Meat and egg consumersRetailers and butchersOnline buyersPoultry farmersRestaurant buyers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia & Indonesia. Markets: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
- United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
- Malaysia
- Indonesia
Research methodology
A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.
- 1Brief
- 2Importer and distributor interviews
- 3Retail and food service buyer survey
- 4Insight
We interviewed importers, distributors, supermarket buyers and food service purchasing managers in Arabic, Malay, Bahasa Indonesia and English, exploring supplier selection, halal certification requirements, cold chain expectations, cuts and pricing. A survey then measured the relative importance of each factor by country.
Business panelQualitative researchResearch consultancy
Sampling strategy
- Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
- Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- interviews
- 30
- survey responses
- 120
- The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
- Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
- Review of open-ended answers
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Certification recognised by local authorities, consistent cut specifications and reliable cold-chain documentation mattered more than small price differences.
Meeting each market’s certification expectations opened doors that price alone could not.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: meeting each market’s certification expectations opened doors that price alone could not.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: certification recognised by local authorities, consistent cut specifications and reliable cold-chain documentation mattered more than small price differences.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The company prioritised certification with the most widely recognised bodies, standardised its cut specifications and appointed distributors in two markets first.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: what would make people buy packaged meat?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.