International Marketing of Organic Foods: Consumers,Standards, and Harmonization

Differing technical standards can be barriers to international trade. Harmonizing standards is one means of removing barriers to trade. It is argued in this article that international harmonization may not be welfare enhancing if consumers have a strong attachment to their domestic standards. Standards for organic products differ among countries and act as a barrier to trade. International harmonization has been proposed. Consumers were surveyed in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada to determine their likely attachment to existing domestic organic standards. The results suggest that consumers, even those with a preference for organic foods, have little understanding of their domestic standards and only weakly identify with them. As a result, harmonization could be pursued. Agribusiness firms that are interested in harmonization to expand their access to export markets should promote the development of a new international standard rather than harmonization to one of the existing domestic standards.     

Canadian Health and Food: The Links between Policy, Consumers, and Industry

The concerns around the social costs associated with poor, inadequate diets and unhealthy food choices have received much attention in both the popular and academic literature recently. In response, governments are starting to direct their attention toward the interplay between public health and the food economy. We begin by reviewing some of the known links between food and health, the recommendations coming from international and domestic bodies, and the perspective of industry. We then discuss the potential role of, and justifications for, policy interventions, and note that a failure to incorporate consumer response into the policymaking process has led to suboptimal outcomes in the past. We present a qualitative overview of the possible effects of Canadian agricultural policies, as well as examples from the limited literature in this area. In much the same way that the policymaking process is subject to environmental impact assessments, agricultural and food policies need to be formulated with a health filter in place order to avoid perverse dietary outcomes. Les préoccupations entourant les coûts sociaux liés à des régimes alimentaires déficients et à des choix alimentaires nuisibles pour la santé ont reçu récemment beaucoup d'attention dans les publications populaires et scientifiques. En réponse à ces préoccupations, les gouvernements commencent à se pencher sur l'interaction entre la santé publique et l'économie de l'alimentation. Nous avons d'abord examiné quelques‐uns des liens connus entre l'alimentation et la santé, les recommandations d'organismes nationaux et internationaux et le point de vue de l'industrie. Nous avons ensuite discuté du rôle potentiel des interventions politiques, et des justifications pour ces interventions, et avons noté que le fait de ne pas intégrer la réaction du consommateur dans le processus d'élaboration des politiques a entraîné des résultats sous‐optimaux dans le passé. Nous présentons un aperçu qualitatif des répercussions possibles des politiques agricoles canadiennes ainsi que des exemples tirés de la littérature limitée dans ce domaine. Tout comme le processus d'élaboration des politiques est soumis à des évaluations de l'impact sur l'environnement, les politiques agroalimentaires doivent être élaborées en tenant compte de la santé en vue d'éviter les conséquences perverses liées à l'alimentation.     

Are United States Consumers Tolerant of Genetically Modified Foods?

Controversy surrounds the introduction of genetically modified foods. One key issue relates to tolerance levels—the impurity rate tolerated before a commodity must be labeled. Currently, the United States has not defined a tolerance level for genetically modified foods. This paper uses data from experimental auctions to test whether consumers prefer foods with 0, 1, or 5% tolerance levels for genetically modified material. We conclude consumers would pay less for food that tolerates genetically modified material, but find no evidence that consumers' place different values on foods with 1 and 5% genetically modified content.     

Factors Influencing Urban Consumers' Acceptance of Genetically Modified Foods

Linkages between consumer beliefs and attitudes regarding the risks and benefits of genetically modified foods and consumer purchase intentions for these foods are examined. Factors that hinder consumer purchases of genetically modified foods are also tested. Results show that purchase intentions for consumers willing to buy genetically modified crops and meats are primarily affected by their belief that these foods are safe. On the other hand, intentions of consumers who decide not to buy genetically modified foods are affected by ethical concerns and the belief that the production of genetically modified foods is harmful to wildlife and the environment.     

A Cultural Hedonic Framework for Increasing the Consumption of Unfamiliar Foods: Soy Acceptance in Russia and Colombia

It is important to understand how a country's cultural influences may affect the introduction of a new or unfamiliar food. In this paper, we present a cultural hedonic framework that uses a culture's context (low versus high) and its view toward food consumption (hedonic versus utilitarian consumption) to assess the difficulty of introducing an unfamiliar food to this market. This framework is then applied to determine the most effective means to stimulate soy consumption in Russia and Colombia. General guidelines show how the cultural hedonic framework can be used to provide insights into distribution, message positioning, and marketing strategy for other foods and products in a variety of situations.     

Traceability in the Canadian Red Meat Sector: Do Consumers Care?

Increased traceability of food and food ingredients through the agri-food chain has featured in recent industry initiatives in the Canadian livestock sector and is an important facet of the new Canadian Agricultural Policy Framework (APF). While traceability is usually implicitly associated with ensuring food safety and delivering quality assurances, there has been very little economic analysis of the functions of traceability systems and the value that consumers place on traceability assurances. This paper examines the economic incentives for implementing traceability systems in the meat and livestock sector. Experimental auctions are used to assess the willingness to pay of Canadian consumers for a traceability assurance, a food safety assurance, and an on-farm production method assurance for beef and pork products. Results from these laboratory market experiments provide insights into the relative value for Canadian consumers of traceability and quality assurances. Traceability, in the absence of quality verification, is of limited value to individual consumers. Bundling traceability with quality assurances has the potential to deliver more value.     

Consumer Trends and Attitudes to Functional Foods

Abstract

Consumers' needs have grown to such an extent that they are sought out of nutritious and pleasant organoleptic foods, as well as functional foods. This study explores consumer attitudes towards health nutrition products and particularly functional foods, using data from a survey to 325 consumers. The results designate that consumers recognize different kinds of functional foods, willing to pay a premium for their purchase. They perceive that functional foods may contribute to easily follow a healthy and balanced diet and reduce the risk of health problems but appeared anxious about the health benefits these foods communicate in their labelling.     

Policy Development for Novel Foods: Issues and Challenges for Functional Food

Challenges in policy development for novel foods arise from information asymmetry associated with these credence goods. Policy development reflects pressures by firms and investors to apply health claims in marketing functional food, nutraceuticals and natural health products, which are growing market segments, relative to mature food markets. However, the wordings on health claims are often misinterpreted by consumers. Despite tendencies for some convergence in approaches to health claim policies, policy differs internationally. Related issues considered include factors influencing consumer preferences for these products and uncertainties in the markets for them.     

益生菌和益生元在功能性食品中的应用现状及展望

随着人们的生活水平和健康意识的不断提高,益生菌和益生元产品越来越受到关注。目前,国内外已有许多益生菌和益生元产品实现了工业化生产,并且在我国的发展日新月异。     

Consumers' Valuation of Functional Properties of Foods: Results from a Canada-wide Survey

Very few economic analyses have been done about functional foods and nutraceuticals. The current paper seeks to characterize Canadian consumers' attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and willingness‐to‐pay for functional foods. In the spring of 2001, a telephone survey of 1008 Canadian household food shoppers was conducted. The questionnaire included stated‐choice experiments to derive distributions of price‐functional property trade‐offs. The majority of respondents appeared willing to purchase and to pay a price premium for functional foods, particularly if the functional property were added to foods derived from plants. Consumers were less receptive to a functional property incorporated in a meat product. A large proportion of respondents negatively perceived genetically modified (GM) and organic foods relative to conventional foods, after controlling for price and the health property. This suggests that there could be a niche market for organic functional foods and that GM functional foods would have to be discounted to attract a wide range of consumers. Peu d'études ont été réalisées sur les aliments fonctionnels et les nutraceutiques. Notre papier a pour but de caractériser les attitudes, les croyances, les connaissances et la volonté des consommateurs canadiens de payer plus cher pour des aliments fonctionnels. Un sondage téléphonique fut administré auprès de 1008 répondants à trovers le Canada. Des expériences amenant les répondants àénoncer leur préférences en faisant des choix de produits ont été réalisées pour générer les distributions des compromis entre les prix et les propriétés fonctionnelles. La majorité des répondants sontprêt á payer des suppléments pour des propriétés fonctionnelles, surtout si celles‐ci sont ajoutées a des produits dérivés des plantes. Les répondants semblent mains réceptifs aux propriétés ajoutées à de la viande. Une proportion élevée de répondants entretiennent des perceptions négatives des aliments GM et organiques, relativement aux produits conventionnels après avoir contrôlé pour les prix et les propriétés fonctionnelles. Ceci suggère qu'il y aurait un marché niche pour les aliments fonctionnels organiques et que les aliments fonctionnels GM devraient être réduits en prix pour attirer une vaste clientele.     

Evolving Supply Chains in the Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Industry

The rapid growth of the nutraceutical and functional foods industry in recent years has necessitated the development of new supply chain relationships. These supply chains are interesting because of the uncertain regulatory, technological and market environment in which they have evolved. Challenges include concentration in upstream input supply and downstream manufacturing sectors, intellectual property rights protection, asset specific investments in an uncertain market environment, and establishing credible quality signals for credence attributes in an era of regulatory uncertainty and consumer scepticism.     

Buying Motives and Trust of Young Consumers for Functional Fermented Dairy Products: Evidence From Croatian Students

The goal of the present study was to determine consumption of functional fermented dairy products among Croatian students, their buying motives, and trust in functional characteristics of such products. Data were collected by means of an online survey with 300 university students in two major Croatian cities. Even though more than half of the respondents were not familiar with the term “functional food,” after it was explained, it turned out that the majority consumes functional fermented dairy products. The main reason for choosing such products is prevention of diseases, followed by positive impact of low-fat content on body weight. Respondents moderately trust in health effects and in producers’ labels regarding functional properties of functional fermented dairy products. Heavier consumers of fermented dairy products and those placing high importance on health effects of food they consume have more trust in functional properties of these products. Results of the study could be used as a base for better communication with young consumers regarding functional fermented dairy products.     

消费者对转基因食品的认知水平和接受程度——基于全国15省份城镇居民的调查与分析

本文基于2013年全国15省份城镇居民的调查数据,分析了消费者对不同转基因食品的认知水平和接受程度,并利用计量经济模型定量研究了不同因素对消费者认知水平和接受程度的影响。研究结果表明,2013年与2002年相比,消费者对转基因食品的认知水平和生物技术知识水平均有很大程度的提高,但消费者对转基因食品的接受程度明显下降;消费者对转基因食品的认知水平显著负向影响消费者对转基因食品的接受程度;"2012年黄金大米事件"显著负面影响了消费者对转基因食品的认知,说明媒体关于转基因技术及食品的负面报道对消费者产生了消极影响。     

Bridging the Gap between Millennial Consumers,Social Media,and Agricultural Branding Programs: A Qualitative Assessment

With a growing trend for geographical branding efforts within the United States, particularly for individual states, the need to better understand how consumer groups respond to these efforts becomes prevalent, particularly for agricultural brands. The current study analyzes Millennial consumer response to agricultural branding programs within the United States and the effects of social media on this process. Using the Generational Cohort Theory (GCT) and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (HoN) as key foundations, a qualitative assessment was completed on Millennial consumers across various university campuses within one U.S. state. Results revealed that five key themes emerged relating to locally produced foods (definition, users, access, experiences and marketing/branding) while four themes emerged from the discussions on social media (applications, activity, advertising and information flow/communication). From these themes, a new conceptual ‘hierarchy’ is proposed that can be used to explain how Millennial consumers can become better connected with agricultural programs and branding messages moving forward. Implications and future research directions are provided.     

Demand for Beef from Cattle Administered Growth Hormones or Fed Genetically Modified Corn: A Comparison of Consumers in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States

We compare consumer valuations of beef ribeye steaks from cattle produced without growth hormones or genetically modified corn in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results suggest that French consumers place a higher value on beef from cattle that have not been administered added growth hormones than U.S. consumers; however, valuations of non-hormone-treated beef are statistically indistinguishable across Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results also suggest that European consumers place a much higher value on beef from cattle that have not been fed genetically modified corn than U.S. consumers.