Intensive cattle production is one of the primary causes of biodiversity
loss. Pasture-based animal husbandry has the potential to reverse this
negative trend. Pasture-raised livestock products represent a premium
niche with an extra value through a cleaner environmental footprint and
care for animal welfare, including wildlife. This review focuses on
recent scientific findings in consumer behavior regarding pasture-raised
products. A systematic literature search was conducted in online
databases using a fixed search term. Thirty-nine relevant consumer
studies published between 2000 and 2019 in the English language were
selected for the review. The Alphabet Theory was applied as a
theoretical framework to analyze the findings.

Consumer behavior regarding pasture-raised products is largely defined
through health and environmental attitudes and depends substantially on
the context of a purchase decision. There are a variety of consumer
groups willing to pay a premium for a pasture-raised attribute even on
top of an organic price premium. Consumer knowledge of the subject is
rather low and confusion exists regarding the terminology: consumers
often mistake the production system behind pasture-raised products for
organic or conventional. This calls for communication of the
environmental and social benefits of pasture-based production and the
importance of individual food choices. This article is the first to
review scientific consumer studies on perceptions, preferences, behavior
regarding and willingness to pay for pasture-raised products. Further
research, especially research based on real market data, is recommended
to explore the effect of specific environmental attributes, social and
personal norms, informational content, and product types on consumer
preferences and willingness to pay for pasture-raised products.