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.     

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.     

Genetically Modified Crops and Product Differentiation: Trade and Welfare Effects in the Soybean Complex

A partial equilibrium four-region world trade model for the soybean complex is developed in which Roundup Ready (RR) products are weakly inferior substitutes to conventional ones, RR seeds are priced at a premium, and costly segregation is necessary to separate conventional and biotech products. Solution of the calibrated model illustrates how incomplete adoption of RR technology arises in equilibrium. The United States, Argentina, Brazil, and the Rest of the World (ROW) all gain from the introduction of RR soybeans, although some groups may lose. The impacts of RR production or import bans by the ROW or Brazil are analyzed. U.S. price support helps U.S. farmers, despite hurting the United States and has the potential to improve world efficiency.     

Rejecting New Technology: The Case of Genetically Modified Wheat

Canada has stringent regulations covering the release of new wheat varieties, but the United States has virtually no regulations in this area. Monsanto Co. developed genetically modified (GM) spring wheat for North America, and made a commitment to the U.S. industry to release this new technology simultaneously in both Canada and the United States, or not at all. The Canadian regulatory bias against new varieties acted as a veto against GM wheat and caused Monsanto to shelve the technology in both countries in 2004. Substantial economic rents were foregone in North America due to the rejection of this new technology.     

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.     

Planting Decisions and Uncertain Consumer Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crop Varieties

There exists much uncertainty about consumer attitudes toward genetically modified foods. If it happens that sufficient (insufficient) acres are planted under nonmodified seed to meet postharvest demand, then a price premium will not (will) emerge for the nonmodified varieties. A nonlinearity originates in the fact that a price premium may not be supported. This nonlinearity interacts with demand uncertainty to determine equilibrium plantings and the probability that postharvest varietal prices differ. Also, as planting approaches signals will be broadcast about the nature of postharvest demand. We show how the nonlinearity affects the types of signals that growers will prefer to receive.     

食品安全标准与食品检测标准在应用中的问题探讨

食品安全是世界范围内高度关注的问题之一.近年来,我国经济飞速发展,人们物质生活显著改善,食品种类更加丰富,但与此同时食品安全问题也愈加突出,严重威胁人们的健康,也影响了市场经济健康发展.食品安全标准和食品检测标准的出台在很大程度上规范了我国的食品市场,强化了食品安全监管,但是在实际应用过程中也存在一定的问题,如适用范围...     

Food Beliefs: Elicitation,Estimation and Implications for Labeling Policy

We present a model in which consumers use product attributes (or labels) and their own beliefs to form expectations about the quality of a product. We use best–worst scaling to elicit beliefs, and study how information may influence these beliefs. In our ranking experiments, participants sort different milk products according to (perceived) nutritional or environmental quality, and we use the resulting choice data to recover beliefs econometrically. In a nutritional quality experiment, we measure how food labels (i.e. front‐of‐package, back‐of‐package and ratio of recommended to restricted nutrients) alter consumers’ beliefs, finding that truthful attribute information may sometimes mislead consumers. The discussion explains how similar experiments could be used to distinguish informative labels from marketing messages.     

Market and Welfare Effects of Second-Generation, Consumer-Oriented GM Products

We examine the economic effects of the introduction of consumer-oriented genetically modified (GM) products into the food system by developing a model of heterogeneous consumers and producers that allows for vertical and horizontal differentiation between the products available to consumers. The model facilitates the estimation of consumer and producer surpluses in the product/utility and product/net returns spaces. Results show that the introduction of consumer-oriented GM products can change the relationship between GM and conventional and organic products from one of vertical to one of horizontal product differentiation and can enhance both economic welfare and the market acceptance and growth of agricultural biotechnology.     

Genetically Modified Crops, Corporate Pricing Strategies, and Farmers' Adoption: The Case of Bt Cotton in Argentina

This article analyzes adoption and impacts of Bt cotton in Argentina against the background of monopoly pricing. Based on survey data, it is shown that the technology significantly reduces insecticide applications and increases yields; however, these advantages are curbed by the high price charged for genetically modified seeds. Using the contingent valuation method, it is shown that farmers' average willingness to pay is less than half the actual technology price. A lower price would not only increase benefits for growers, but could also multiply company profits, thus, resulting in a Pareto improvement. Implications of the sub-optimal pricing strategy are discussed.     

Economic Effects of the Consumer‐oriented Genetically Modified Products in Markets with a Labelling Regime

This paper builds on the literature on the economic effects of the second‐generation, consumer‐oriented genetically modified products (GMPs). It analyses the market and welfare impacts of the introduction of these new products in markets, like the EU, that mandate the segregation and labelling of the first‐generation, producer‐oriented GMPs. Developing an empirically relevant model of heterogeneous consumers and producers, the study determines the effects of the consumer‐oriented GMPs on the markets of conventional, GM and organic products, and the welfare of consumers and agricultural producers. Analytical results indicate that the market effects of the new GMPs are case specific and depend on: (i) the consumer valuation of the quality‐enhancing attribute of the new GMP; (ii) the level of consumer aversion to GMOs; (iii) the strength of consumer preference for organic products; and (iv) the production costs and marketing margins in the different supply channels. The policy on the labelling of the first‐generation GMPs does not affect the impacts of the second‐generation GMPs on the quantities and market shares of the different products. However, it does affect their price effects and welfare implications. The introduction of consumer‐oriented GMPs under a mandatory labelling regime can result in losses for some GM consumers and all producers of the conventional product.     

Trade and the Political Economy of Food Standards

This article presents a political economy model of public standards in an open economy. We use the model to derive the political optimum and to analyse different factors that have an influence on this political equilibrium. We analyse the relationship between trade and the political equilibria and compare the political outcome with the social optimum to identify under which cases political considerations lead to standards being set ‘too low’ or ‘too high’, and which standards could be labelled as protectionist measures.     

The Challenges of Organic Production and Marketing in Europe and Spain: Innovative Marketing for the Future With Quality and Safe Food Products

In this work the actual situation of organic production and marketing in Spain is explained, studying and analyzing their evolution in the last decade of previous the century and in the first years of the new millennium. In Spain, organic production began in the 1970s with pioneers in Catalonia, Murcia Region, and other zones. It was in the 1990s when was observed a great increase in organic surfaces. A very interesting and critical date is that at the moment, more than 80% of organic products are being exported to other European countries, United States, and other foreign markets, and it is necessary to find new marketing strategies and innovations to structure the organic market, give new information to consumers, improve investments in the relation between retailers and consumers, and improve the perception of the utilities of these products. In some countries, as is the case of Spain, the consumers don't have enough information about the characteristics of organic products, organic food, and organic production methodologies. They must have all the information about the benefits of organic production methodologies and their implications in environmental conservation, biodiversity protection, food quality and safety, and this task must be provided by the new marketing strategies and actions.     

Study of the Main Motivations and Discouraging Factors for the Implementation of ISO 9000 Standards in Spanish Agribusiness Sector

Abstract

The implementation and certification of ISO 9000 quality assurance systems in Spanish agribusiness companies is a recent although rapidly growing phenomenon. In spite of the extensive biography available on ISO standards few works have been published on the experience from the companies' point of view. This article carries out an empirical analysis of the main motivations that encourage companies to set up an ISO 9000 quality assurance system and also the reasons that discourage them from doing so. The analysis of this latter aspect, using multivariate methodology, allows an in-depth examination of the series of problems that agribusinesses face.     

浅析食品生产加工的质量保证

食品生产加工质量安全直接关系着人们的身体健康和生命安全,而随着我国经济的快速发展,人民生活水平的不断提高,对食品生产加工质量安全的要求也不断提升.同时,食品生产加工的质量备受社会各方面的高度关注,是衡量国民幸福指数的重要因素.本文从食品生产加工的基础条件、质量标准和法律保障等方面进行论证,探析建立食品生产加工过程的质量...     

浅谈食品加工工厂质量管理技术及应用

随着食品加工技术的不断发展,我国食品加工业得以不断发展壮大,而工厂质量管理技术对食品加工企业的生存及发展具有巨大的影响.因此,如何发展及利用好质量管理技术成为食品加工从业者关心的问题.本文主要针对工厂质量管理技术对食品加工企业的意义和作用,以及促进食品加工工厂质量管理技术的发展对策进行了论述.     

香菇鸡肉混合型肉丸的加工保藏品质研究

本课题主要以蔬菜鸡肉丸为研究对象,选取香菇为添加蔬菜,旨在研究添加香菇对鸡肉丸的感官、品质与保藏特性的影响,探究香菇鸡肉丸的可行性及效果.将香菇以0％、2％、4％、6％和8％的不同比例等质量替代鸡胸肉加入鸡肉丸,测定各组鸡肉丸样品的感官评分、质构特性,并将新制鸡肉丸样品置于-18～24℃环境下保藏,测定其质构.实验结果...     

EU Food Safety Standards,Pesticide Use and Farm‐level Productivity: The Case of High‐value Crops in Kenya

This article provides an empirical analysis of the impact of European Union (EU) private food safety standards on pesticide use and farm‐level productivity among small‐scale vegetable producers in Kenya. We apply an extended three‐stage damage control production framework, accounting for multiple endogeneity problems, to farm‐level data collected from a random cross‐sectional sample of 539 small‐scale producers. Estimation results show that farmers producing vegetables for the domestic market use significantly lower quantities of pesticides than do export farmers. However, contrary to findings elsewhere, the econometric evidence here shows that both domestic and export‐oriented vegetable farmers in Kenya use pesticides at levels below the economic optimum. The results also show that the adoption of standards by export farmers does not have any significant impact on total pesticide use. However, adopter categories are distinguishable in terms of types of pesticide used, i.e. adopters use safer pesticides based on World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The third‐stage structural revenue model results demonstrate that adoption of standards has a positive and significant impact on revenue raised in vegetable production. Nevertheless, farmers producing for the export market are indistinguishable from those producing for the domestic farmers in terms of the total revenue earned from producing vegetables during the rainy season, on a ‘per acre’ basis. Although standards can potentially prevent resource‐poor smallholders from maintaining their position in the lucrative export markets, they can also result in positive changes in the production systems of those small‐scale farmers who adopt it, as shown by these results.     

肉制品生产加工中的质量安全问题探讨

肉制品是人们生活中经常食用的产品之一,富含人类生存所需的多种营养物质,但同时也是各种疾病传播的媒介.想要保证肉制品的质量,需要对肉制品生产加工环节的质量安全进行严格把控.本文简单分析了肉制品生产加工中的质量安全问题,提出了肉制品质量问题的解决办法,从温度控制、质量检测、加工管理和销售监测等环节进行细致剖析,指导肉制品生...