Consumer views on the healthiness of meat from various animal species: A comprehensive survey including fish

•Most respondents perceived fish as the healthiest meat.•The ranking of the fish was not affected by gender, age, but nationality and income.•Respondents ranked rabbit meat as the second healthiest.•Horse meat is regarded as the least healthy option by respondents.•The ranking of various meats varied across countries in many instances. The study aimed to assess respondents’ opinions on healthiness of various types of meat derived from different animal species across multiple countries. A total of 1116 questionnaires from Spain, Italy, Poland, Hungary and China were analysed. According to the perception of all respondents, the ranking on the healthiness of different types of meat is as follows: fish (39.9%), rabbit (20.8%), chicken (15.1%), beef (13.4%), pork (4.9%), lamb (4.3%) and horse meat (1.6%). In specific countries, variations in rankings were observed. In Italy, Poland and Hungary fish claimed the top position, while in Spain rabbit meat was ranked the highest. Conversely, in China, fish and beef were considered the healthiest options. Gender exhibited only a marginal effect. Fish was considered the healthiest for all ages. With the exception of China, where beef overtook the second place, rabbit meat was in the second position. Regarding household income, a difference emerged only in the case of fish; the 'Live well' and 'Live very well' groups considered it healthier than those with lower incomes. The findings suggest that respondents’ opinions on the healthiness of different meat types could be leveraged for the development of marketing strategies with the meat industry.