Consumers’ valuation for food traceability in China: Does trust matter?

Food safety is a very important topic in China. We investigate Chinese consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for food traceability using a choice experiment. Given that consumers’ trust in the food system may affect their preferences and WTP, we also assess the interaction between consumers’ trust in government’s supervision of food safety and food labels and consumers’ preferences for traceable food products. Using data collected from a choice experiment on Fuji apples in a face-to-face survey in six Chinese cities, the results show that (i) consumers are willing to pay for traceable food but their valuations can differ upon the degree of their trust in government’s supervision of food safety and food labels; (ii) consumers are willing to pay for traceability with strong evidence of preference heterogeneity; (iii) government is not the most trusted safety inspection and certificate authority as found in prior studies using animal food products in China.     

Food values and heterogeneous consumer responses to nanotechnology

Agricultural applications of nanotechnology are at a relatively early stage and little is known about consumer responses to the technology. Canadian consumer responses to food nanotechnology are examined through the lens of the Food Value Scale. Data from a survey of Canadian consumers are used to evaluate the relative importance of eleven food values to food purchase decisions. We find that taste, safety, nutrition, and price are among the most important food values to Canadians, however, consumers exhibit considerable heterogeneity with respect to the priority placed on these values. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) explores the effect of food values on choice behavior. The DCE is positioned as a sliced apple product with non-browning and antioxidant-enhanced features introduced through the use of nanocoating or a conventional coating method. Random parameters logit (RPL) and latent class models (LCM) confirm the existence of significant preference heterogeneity. The LCM identifies three classes of consumers: “supporters,” “doubters,” and “opponents” who differ in their reaction to nanotechnology and in the relative importance placed on food values such as naturalness, novelty, and convenience. The analysis shows that food values provide additional insights into consumers’ food choices and their attitudes toward novel food technologies.     

苹果中腐霉利残留快检测定及方法评估

本研究以阿克苏苹果样品中腐霉利的残留为研究对象,采用行业标准《蔬菜和水果中有机磷、有机氯、拟除虫菊酯和氨基甲酸酯类农药多残留的测定》(NY/T 761—2008)为参比方法,分别选取3家快检试剂盒测定苹果样品中添加的不同浓度腐霉利标品,根据《食品快速检测方法评价技术规范》对其快检适用性进行评估.结果显示,试剂盒A与试剂盒C在0.3 mg·kg-1浓度以上呈阳性结果,灵敏度为75％、特异性为100％、假阴性率为25％、假阳性率为0;试剂盒B在0.1 mg·kg-1以上呈阳性结果,其灵敏度为100％、特异性为50％、假阴性率为0、假阳性率为50％;3家试剂盒的显著性差异均为83.33％、相对准确度为8.1％.所选试剂盒适用于苹果中腐霉利残留量的快速筛查.     

面压试验在全金属气缸垫泄漏故障解决中的应用

文章简述了全金属气缸垫面压分布原理和面压试验的操作流程,利用气缸垫泄漏故障分析导致气缸垫泄漏的潜在原因并按照拆机顺序逐一排查,针对背离项提出改进措施,经过试验验证了解决措施的有效性。在解决问题的过程中,面压试验的应用起到了关键作用,这对面压试验在解决发动机气缸垫泄漏故障中的应用具有很好的指导意义。     

Collective Reputation and Quality

Firms who sell regional or specialty products often share a collective reputation based on aggregate quality. Collective reputation can be approached as a dynamic common property resource problem. We show that for an experience good without firm traceability, individual firms have the incentive to choose quality levels that are sub-optimal for the group. These results support minimum quality standards. Trigger strategies are analyzed as an alternative solution to this problem. Finally, the implications of these results are discussed as they relate to the case study of Washington apples.     

多种方法集成的企业技术预见研究

本文基于预测市场和 S 曲线理论两种技术预见理论，通过预测市场在西门子和惠普两大公司的运用，凸显出了预测市场的优缺点；另外，通过 S 曲线描述了柯达公司的兴衰趋势以及其对手富士公司的成功转型，这其中也体现 S 曲线的可靠性和不足。同时，借鉴富士公司及很多优秀公司的成功逆袭，也使得作者把两种预见技术进行有机融合，取长补短，帮助企业更为准确预测其技术的发展趋势，抢先把握企业的核心竞争力，为企业长远的发展做好充分准备。     

How Do Cultural Worldviews Shape Food Technology Perceptions? Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment

Agricultural biotechnology (genetic modification) has encountered resistance from many consumers, resulting in disparate regulatory approaches across different jurisdictions. The recent advent of CRISPR-Cas9, or gene editing, offers the potential for significant improvements in plant breeding. However, little is known currently about consumer responses to the technology. A factor often omitted from previous economic analyses of consumer acceptance of new food technologies is underlying human values or worldviews. Drawing upon cultural cognition theory and using data from a survey of Canadian consumers, we examine the influence of cultural values on food choice behaviours. Respondents’ pre-existing cultural values are measured on two dimensions: hierarchy-egalitarianism and individualism-communitarianism. Choice behaviours are captured using a discrete choice experiment featuring a sliced apple product with two consumer-oriented attributes (non-browning and antioxidant-enhanced) and three novel food technologies (gene editing, genetic modification, edible coating). Using a random parameters logit model with error components we find pre-existing cultural values to be significant determinants of choice behaviours. Individuals pre-disposed towards a hierarchical worldview are more accepting of novel food technologies, as are individuals with a communitarian worldview. While the use of gene editing results in negative marginal utilities in a food choice situation, the effect is not as large as with genetic modification, suggesting there is scope to ameliorate potentially negative reactions to the technology with value-compatible messages.     

中国苹果加工产业发展趋势分析

得益于资源优势和成本优势,中国苹果加工产业发展迅速,正由产能扩张向提质竞争过渡。综合产业发展和市场变化判断,加工产业发展的基本趋势是行业整合加快,产业布局向原料产地集中;受成本和出口价格快速增长、国际市场需求不足、贸易壁垒增强等因素影响,中国浓缩苹果汁出口约束增强。中国苹果加工产业应以转型升级为发展契机,通过行业整合、优化产业结构,建立、健全出口产品的质量标准体系和应对国际贸易壁垒的市场预警机制,积极开拓新兴市场。     

Tariff Equivalent and Forgone Trade Effects of Prohibitive Technical Barriers to Trade

We derive a method to econometrically estimate the tariff equivalent and forgone trade effects of a prohibitive technical barrier to trade (TBT) based on Wales and Woodland's Kuhn–Tucker approach to corner solutions in consumer choice. The method overcomes the lack of observed data on bilateral trade flows and accounts for differentiated goods by place of origin. We apply the derived random utility model to international trade in apples to identify the tariff equivalent of prohibitive phytosanitary barriers imposed by Australia on potential imports of New Zealand apples. We estimate the forgone apple trade between the two countries, the implied trade injury imposed by Australia on New Zealand, and the welfare loss to Australia. The removal of the Australian policy would induce net welfare gains around US$50 million annually for Australia.     

套袋与不套袋富士苹果品质对比效果

以不套袋富士苹果为对照,研究了套袋富士苹果与不套袋富士苹果的内外品质和经济效益。结果表明:套袋可促进苹果着色,增加果面光洁度、减少病虫侵害、果秀发病率和日烧率,提高商品售价,但降低了苹果的风味;内在品质相比较,套袋苹果单果重量减轻8.8%,可溶性固形物含量降低5.4%,而硬度提高6.9%。