Inserting GM Products into the Food Chain: The Market and Welfare Effects of Different Labeling and Regulatory Regimes

The purpose of this article is to examine the system-wide effects of the introduction of genetically modified (GM) products with and without labeling and to compare these two regimes to a third regime where GM products are not present either because they have not yet been developed or because they have been banned. For each regime, the decisions and welfare of consumers, producers, and life science companies are examined. The article explicitly incorporates the consumer response to the introduction of GM technology and considers different market structures of the life science sector.     

Credence Good Labeling: The Efficiency and Distributional Implications of Several Policy Approaches

A model of vertical product differentiation is used to analyze the labeling of credence goods, focusing on the manner by which quality is communicated. The results indicate that firms prefer private labeling options. In addition, firms may hire private certifiers as well as paying for mandated government labels when the government's quality benchmark substantially deviates from firms' private quality choices. The average consumer prefers a mandatory, discrete label with a high-quality standard while poor consumers prefer a mandatory, discrete label with a low standard.     

Labeling Context and Reference Point Effects in Models of Food Attribute Demand

There is considerable interest in the effect of labels on food product demand. Labeling statements may convey new information about attributes and place consumers in different choice contexts; consumers' assessment of information in labels may be affected by reference points. We examine labeling context relating to genetically modified (GM) food as a factor in the stochastic component of a random utility model and assess reference points over a set of observable characteristics of consumers. We find that labeling context effects are present, although relatively small, while reference dependence is a very important factor that varies over observable characteristics of the sampled consumers.     

On the Segregation of Genetically Modified,Conventional and Organic Products in European Agriculture: A Multi‐market Equilibrium Analysis

Evaluating the possible benefits of the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops must address the issue of consumer resistance as well as the complex regulation that has ensued. In the European Union (EU), this regulation envisions the co‐existence of GM food with conventional and quality‐enhanced products, mandates the labelling and traceability of GM products and allows only a stringent adventitious presence of GM content in other products. All these elements are brought together within a partial equilibrium model of the EU agricultural food sector. The model comprises conventional, GM and organic food. Demand is modelled in a novel fashion, whereby organic and conventional products are treated as horizontally differentiated but GM products are vertically differentiated (weakly inferior) relative to conventional ones. Supply accounts explicitly for the land constraint at the sector level and for the need for additional resources to produce organic food. Model calibration and simulation allow insights into the qualitative and quantitative effects of the large‐scale introduction of GM products in the EU market. We find that the introduction of GM food reduces overall EU welfare, mostly because of the associated need for costly segregation of non‐GM products, but the producers of quality‐enhanced products actually benefit.     

Dairy Products Market Segmentation: The Effects of Country of Origin on Price Premium and Purchase Intention

This study examines the impact of country of origin and other marketing factors on perceived price premium and purchase intention of dairy products. Applying factor analysis and 2-step cluster analysis, the article finds that there are 4 segments in the Thailand dairy market. The respondents in each segment perceive quality of products from 6 countries (or regions) differently. Three segments that consider country of origin have their evaluation of price premium and purchase intention of products from each country higher than the remaining segment. The applications to market strategy of international food companies and agribusiness industries are discussed.     

Innovation and Trade with Endogenous Market Failure: The Case of Genetically Modified Products

A partial-equilibrium, two-country model is developed to analyze implications from the introduction of genetically modified (GM) products. In the model, innovators hold proprietary rights, farmers are (competitive) adopters, some consumers deem GM food to be inferior in quality to traditional food, and the mere introduction of GM crops affects the costs of non-GM food (because of costly identity preservation). Among the results derived, it is shown that, although GM innovations have the potential to improve efficiency, some groups can be made worse off. Indeed, it is even possible that the costs induced by GM innovations outweigh the efficiency gains.     

Grading, Minimum Quality Standards, and the Labeling of Genetically Modified Products

We relate the labeling of genetically modified (GM) products to the theory of grading and minimum quality standards. The model represents three stages in the supply chain, assumes a vertical product differentiation framework, allows for the accidental commingling of non-GM products, and treats regulation as a purity threshold for non-GM products. We find that a non-GM purity level that is too strict leads to the disappearance of the non-GM product, and that some quality standard benefits farmers. Indeed, the standard that is optimal from the perspective of producers is stricter than what is optimal for consumers and for societal welfare.     

基层食用农产品监督抽检结果分析——以2020—2021年咸阳市的3个县为例

食品安全是关乎人们健康的重大民生问题,由于近年来我国食品安全问题频发,食品安全监督抽检工作开始受到社会各界的关注和重视,该工作也是防范食品安全问题和排查食品安全风险的重要手段。本文针对2020—2021年咸阳市3个县的食用农产品抽检工作展开分析,并提出了提高检测机构能力、完善监管机制、创新监管模式的建议,旨在能够提高基层食品监管工作的质量。     

Reputations, Market Structure, and the Choice of Quality Assurance Systems in the Food Industry

Many food traits desired by consumers are costly to provide and difficult to verify. A complicating factor is that delivered quality can only be affected stochastically by producers and imperfectly observed by consumers. Markets for these goods will emerge only if supplying firms can be trusted. We develop a repeated purchases model to explore how quality discoverability, market structure, nature of reputations, market premiums, and discount factors drive firm choice about the stringency of quality assurance systems designed to gain consumer trust. Reputation protection is key incentive for firms to invest in high-quality goods and quality assurance systems.     

定西市有机农业发展优势、问题与对策

分析了甘肃省定西市发展有机农业的有利条件和面临的问题,定西市具有自然资源丰富、农业开发环境优越、劳动力资源充裕和区位优势明显等优势,极具发展有机农业的潜力,但是也存在认识不足、专业技术知识缺乏、认证费用高和投资风险大等问题;提出加强宣传、政策倾斜扶持、成立认证中心和整合现有特色农业资源等措施来推动定西市有机农业的健康发展。