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Abstract
The objective of this research was to determine consumer preferences for tenderness, quality grade, origin, use of growth technologies, and price of beef, sirloin steak, specifically. Two hundred twenty three consumers participated. Of these, 96 consumers participated in a sensory tasting panel for sirloin steak before completing a choice set survey while the remaining 127 completed the choice set survey. A structural difference was found in the results between the two groups. The eating experience was found to be critical, altering the preferences of consumers. Consumers overstated their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for credence attributes before tasting the product. After tasting products, factors that influence the eating experience (tenderness, quality grade) still dominated as the most important and influential attributes on WTP. The lack of WTP premium or discount from the no tasting group for beef quality grade may indicate a lack of knowledge about the meaning of the grade terms “choice” and “select.” Sensory panel participants reported a significant WTP premium for Choice indicating they value that quality when they eat it. The use of no hormones and no antibiotics in production had a premium of $2.34/kg among the no tasting group, but after tasting the premium was reduced to $1.19/kg.