The Reputation of the German Meat Sector: A Structural Equation Model

Abstract

The German meat industry is increasingly subject to subject to controversy in public debate. The companies within the sector continue to be rather passive regarding this issue. As a consequence, the differences in opinion between society and meat industry have widened in recent years. Indications of a lack of acceptance are, for instance, public campaigns against agricultural building projects, reduced trust in the industry and increasing popularity of vegetarians in the population. In order to investigate the extent of these difficulties, this study analyses the reputation of the meat sector, using the Partial Least Squares Method (PLS). The results indicate that interest in and knowledge about the sector are generally rather poor.