Interestingly, 60-70% of kangaroo meat harvested in Australia, goes to feed cats and dogs.
Of that used for human consumption, 70% is exported, mostly to Russia.
It seems there is little demand in Australia for this low fat, and dare I suggest organic, meat.
There is a program promoting the commercial use of Australian wildlife called FATE (Future of Australia’s Threatened Ecosystems), based at the University of New South Wales.
FATE is about to sponsor a study to better understand the market sectors that consume kangaroo in Australia and what marketing exercises would be most effective in boosting consumption and thus boosting the value of kangaroos as a resource.
Quoting from the FATE website:
“FATE has recently been successful in securing funding through the New Animal Industries program of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) for a research project being undertaken in conjunction with UTS School of Marketing to explore consumer choice behaviour in relation to kangaroo meat and develop targeted strategies for boosting market acceptance and consumption. This project has a specific focus on smallgoods and other manufactured meat products, as kangaroo is yet to find a significant place in this market in Australia, despite the fact that some overseas manufacturers have embraced kangaroo as a high-protein, low-fat component of smallgoods.
FATE and UTS will interview meat processors and consumers and conduct discrete choice experiments to determine what factors influence consumer choice around kangaroo meat products.”
I wonder to what extent campaigning by PETA and Voiceless has/will impact on consumer choice?
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.