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Abstract
Considering the relative
changes in the consumption of white and red meats, the aim of this study is to distinguish different
consumer segments in Temuco (Region of the Araucanía, Chile) on the basis of knowledge of the
nutritional aspects related to the consumption of the main types of meats available in the country. Data
is collected through a survey of 400 people. Using seven affi rmations on subjects that interviewees
had to catalog as true or false, a score of 53.2% common knowledge was obtained, with greater
awareness of the risks of red meat consumption than its benefi ts. Using hierarchical clustering,
four segments were distinguished with no differences in the frequency of beef, pork or chicken
consumption. The largest group (45.7%) presented a common knowledge score similar to the total
sample. The second group (27.0%) with a score of 71.83% had the highest proportion of people
from the higher socioeconomic strata and tertiary-level education. The third segment (14.8%) with
a score of 39.84% had the highest proportion of consumers who received only elementary education.
The smallest segment (12.5%) with a score of 26.68% contained few consumers with university
studies and the greatest proportion belonging to the lower-middle and low socioeconomic strata
and the Mapuche ethnic group. Nutritional knowledge with respect to different types of meat is
related to educational level and, secondarily, to the consumer’s socioeconomic and ethnic group;
however, it has not yet affected the frequency of consumption of different types of meat.