Consumers’ preferences for Iberian dry-cured ham and the influence of mast feeding: An application of conjoint analysis in Spain Francisco J. Mesías * , Paula Gaspar, Ángel F. Pulido, Miguel Escribano, Francisco Pulido Escuela de Ingenierías Agrarias, Universidad de Extremadura, Ctra. Cáceres, s/n, 06071 Badajoz, Spain article info Article history: Received 8 June 2009 Received in revised form 23 July 2009 Accepted 1 August 2009 Keywords: Iberian ham Consumers’ preferences Segmentation abstract This paper analyzes consumers’ preferences for Iberian dry-cured ham, one of the most typical and highly prized meat products in Spain. The data were obtained by a survey carried out between April and May 2006 with a sample of 417 consumers in Extremadura (SW Spain). Conjoint Analysis was used to estimate the relative importance of the main attributes affecting preferences for Iberian ham and to create con- sumer segments with similar preference profiles. Results have shown that Price and Type of ham are the most important attributes for the choice of ham. Simulation analyses determined the surcharge that consumers are willing to pay for an Iberian mast-fed ham instead of an Iberian ham, thus identifying an ideal cluster for Iberian mast-fed ham. Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction For a long time, dry-cured ham has been a traditional and highly appreciated food product in many countries. Spain leads the pro- duction and consumption of this product, with over 36 million pieces produced in 2004 (Cruz, 2005) and an annual consumption of 4.6 kg per person (MAMAMAPA, 2007). In Spain, two main types of dry-cured ham are found: Serrano ham, which is made with white pigs that are not usually fed a special diet, and Iberian ham, which is made with an indigenous breed of pig (Iberian pig) native to the southwestern portion of the Iberian peninsula. 1 Iberian pigs (whose ancestor is the Sus Mediterraneus) are de- scribed as having thin extremities, curved backs, and long snouts. These characteristics have developed over generations and have al- lowed the Iberian pig to adapt to the Mediterranean woods (dehe- sas 2 ) where they typically graze freely and must walk long distances for nourishment. It is mainly the feeding of the animals that deter- mines the different qualities of Iberian hams. Higher quality ham comes from Iberian pigs bred extensively in dehesa habitats, feeding primarily on acorns and pastures. In this natural environment Ibe- rian pig develops an infiltrated coat of fat among the muscles giving the meat a very particular flavour. Scarcity of dehesa lands, together with variability in the acorn harvest, limit the number of pigs allowed to feed on acorn diets. In other cases, and due to market demands, such as price, animals are fed with other products, mainly cereals. The result is the exis- tence of three categories or qualities of pigs that produce Iberian ham (European Commission., 2006): 1. ‘‘Bellota” (mast-fed): Pigs are bred extensively and nourished in ‘‘montanera”, i.e., in a traditional method in which animals are free to roam in the dehesa countryside and have mainly eaten acorns and pasture. 2. ‘‘Recebo”: Pigs that spend some time in ‘‘montanera” and then finish their fattening stage with fodder. 3. ‘‘Cebo” (fodder): Pigs bred intensively and fed on a grain-based diet. 4. Both recebo and cebo Iberian ham are known in the market just as Iberian ham, to differentiate them from the higher quality Iberian mast-fed ham. Although Iberian ham is a greatly appreciated product, reaching high prices in the market, its marketing is influenced by the wide variety of Iberian hams offered (depending on the production sys- tem, degree of purity used in the Iberian breed, different types of feeding regime, etc.) which sometimes generate distrust in the consumer and lead to a lack of loyalty towards the product. Many studies have been conducted in recent years trying to improve the aforementioned constraints, but they have mainly focused on the manufacturing technology and on improvement of production processes (Andrés et al., 2001; Cava, Ventanas, Ruiz, 0309-1740/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2009.08.004 * Corresponding author. E-mail address: fjmesias@unex.es (F.J. Mesías). 1 The term White pig or White pig breeds, commonly used in Spain, refers to all the improved pig breeds such as Large white or Landrace. The term White ham is used the same way. 2 Dehesa is the Spanish name for the typical rangelands that predominate in the western and southern lowlands of the Iberian Peninsula. These rangelands are used for livestock range farming and are characterized by its mix of pasture and evergreen oak stands. Usually mixed-species grazing of beef cattle, sheep, and Iberian pigs is practiced: while the ruminants make use of the pasture, stubble, and fallow land, Iberian pigs in their final phase of fattening for market feed free range on the pasture and on acorns. Meat Science 83 (2009) 684–690 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Meat Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/meatsci