Consumers’ willingness to pay for eco-friendly apples under different labels: Evidences from a lab experiment

An experiment was conducted in France to evaluate the impact of health and environmental information on consumers’ choices between conventional and organic apples. Results show that additional and precise messages about both pesticides use and pesticides residues significantly impact consumers’ choices between both products. The experiment also studied the effect of a new label signaling apples that only use few pesticides compared to conventional apples. With elicited willingness-to-pay, we show that the introduction of this new label increases the average participants’ surplus whatever the information context for participants, because of a higher quality compared to conventional apples and a lower price compared to organic products. In order to complement this label, a minimum-quality standard imposing the use of few pesticides is socially optimal when initial participants’ knowledge is limited.     

Health information and substitution between fish: Lessons from laboratory and field experiments

This paper compares results from a lab experiment and a field experiment conducted in France to evaluate the impact of health information on fish consumption. In both experiments, health information concerns a benefit (omega 3) and a risk (methylmercury). While the lab experiment focuses on two species, namely canned tuna and canned sardines, the field experiment offers a complete measure of the information impact on the choice of various species by consumers. Results from both experiments showed a significant preference change against canned tuna. In the lab experiment, the preference change was reflected by a decrease in WTP, while in the field experiment the preference change was reflected by a decrease in consumption. In the field experiment, among all fish consumed, only the decrease in consumption of canned tuna was statistically significant. A model calibrated to represent the demand for canned tuna allows for a comparison between the two experiments. It shows that the lab experiment suggests a smaller decrease in canned tuna demand compared to the field experiment.     

Genetically modified food labeling: The impacts of message and messenger on consumer perceptions of labels and products

We analyze responses to a survey designed to elicit consumer reaction to various approaches to labeling genetically modified (GM) foods. Consumers were shown sample labels that differed with respect to claims concerning the presence and potential effects of GM ingredients and the agency that certified these claims. A sample of 1898 US consumers rated 3681 labels with regard to the credibility and adequacy of the information content, with regard to perceived health and environmental impacts of the product and with regard to purchase intent. Simple claims that a product contains GM ingredients are viewed as most credible while simple claims of no GM content are viewed as most adequate. Label claims certified by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are, in general, viewed as most credible and adequate and products with FDA certified claims are perceived to have fewer long-term health problems. Several practical policy implications of the results are discussed, including how different label messages may impact consumer reactions in markets involving GM products.     

上海百货店服装零售规模研究

本文从上海百货店服装零售现状出发,在市场调研的基础上,就百货店中服装类商品的销售额、经营面积、经营服装品类、服装品牌格局四个指标进行分析,从以上四方面研究上海百货店服装零售规模发展状况,并对其特征进行总结和分析。根据本文的结论,百货店可以更加合理地调整品类布局和经营策略,服装企业可以对上海百货业中服装的格局和特点有清晰的认识,对企业未来的发展方向起到一定的参考作用。     

What is driving increases in dietary quality in the United States?

Over 1994–2010, adult dietary quality in the United States increased by 10 percent. We find a shift in consumption between at-home and away-from-home food played a relatively minor role as compared to changes in demographics and educational attainment. The two largest contributors we identify include an increased usage of nutritional information and a shift away from relying heavily on price, taste, storability and ease of preparation when shopping for food. Our findings suggest nutrition policy discussions could focus on further shifting attitudes/preferences towards healthier diets while allowing consumers to better extract nutrition information when making food choices.     

Double Marginalization and Privatization in Liquor Retailing

The purpose of this paper is to examine the price andstore count predictions of the spatial and non-spatialmodels of vertical integration between an upstreammonopolist and a downstream monopolisticallycompetitive retail industry using data from Alberta'srecently privatized liquor retailing industry. Thisindustry, which had been a government owned monopoly,became monopolistically competitive underprivatization. The models predict that verticaldisintegration will lead to higher retail prices andan increase in the store count in markets that cansupport multiple stores. Both predictions aresupported by liquor store count and price data.     

Does nutrition information on food products lead to healthier food choices?

This paper examines the link between nutrition label use and consumers’ healthier food choices. Label use is considered for the two main types of labels currently found on food products; nutrition facts panels and nutrition/health claims. This link is tested using a three-equation multivariate probit model. Data were obtained from an ad hoc survey conducted in two medium-sized Spanish cities. The results indicate that the use of nutrition information by consumers, whether this involves the fact panel or the claim labels, does influence consumer choice of healthier food products to the same extent, although different types of consumers use the various types of labels considered.     

Promoting child health and nutrition in India

This article discusses the reasons for poor child nutrition in India. Inadequate advice to mothers in poor rural communities about breast milk supplements could allow progressive erosion of breast feeding practices in the face of aggressive promotion from baby food manufacturers. Health workers need better information about possible supplements produced from locally available foods if nutrition education programs are to succeed. The author warns of the detrimental effect on nutritonal status of the deemphasis of school health nutrition programs in India, and points to the need for a nutrition component as an integral part of rural employment/development programs.     

Ethics,ideology and nutrition

What drives nutritionists in their daily work? Why do they choose nutrition and not another field? Presumably it is the appeal of working, either locally or globally, to alleviate the suffering caused by malnutrition. This article explores the political awareness of nutritionists, the political implications of their daily activities and suggests an enhanced role for nutritionists in the battle against malnutrition. The starting point for this article is the motivating principles behind individual nutritionists.     

基于年轻人对时尚审美情趣下的服饰店面多元化陈列研究

陈列设计的概念作为最具潜力的营销策略,让其注入更新鲜的血液来满足年轻消费者的心理需求,成为当今服装消费市场对提升商品附加值的研究重点。本项研究调查对象覆盖武汉、上海、青岛、天津、北京、南宁、珠海等十多个省份。一百多份调查结果体现年轻人追求多重情感因素相融合的服装消费心理。据此,将深入分析年轻人对各层面陈列因素的认可程度,根据其对审美、文化、视觉、时尚、生活等品位的追求,得出多元化创意陈列设计构想,旨在给予顾客在购物的同时更多浪漫、文艺、个性化等感官、精神体验,增强消费前沿预见性。     

Assessing the impact of migration on food and nutrition security

Migration has become a key component in the livelihood strategies of an increasing number of households across the developing world and remittances have expanded dramatically in the last decade. This has come at a time when an increased emphasis has been placed on reducing malnutrition to achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets. While this is the case, there has been little attention on the interface between migration and nutrition even though migration can influence nutrition through a number of channels. The objective of this special issue is to present state-of-the-art analyses of the link between migration and nutrition in developing countries. In this paper, an overview of the conceptual and empirical issues in identifying the link between migration and nutrition are considered. Further, the results from seven country case studies are synthesized and policy implications are drawn.     

How should nutrition be positioned in the post-2015 agenda?

How should the nutrition community be positioning nutrition within the post-2015 MDG debate? This paper represents a snapshot review of ongoing nutrition challenges, the contours of the post-MDG debate, and the views of 26 experts in nutrition and the MDGs. The paper draws out post 2015 options, develops criteria for ranking the options, applies the criteria and makes a recommendation. While a nutrition goal (the “vertical” option) that covers all countries and addresses both under and overweight and obesity may well be most effective for galvanizing commitment for nutrition and for guiding action, it does not seem politically feasible. A strong position for nutrition is to be located with hunger in a “vertical” goal with an additional “horizontal” goal which places nutrition-specific indicators alongside nutrition-relevant indicators in new goal buckets, with placement driven by the UNICEF conceptual framework for undernutrition. The “minimalist” option of simply replacing the flawed underweight indicator with the superior stunting indicator in the poverty goal will not galvanize any constituency and should be rejected.     

Nutritional functional classification study of Panama

Despite significant progress, wide-spread malnutrition persists in Panama. This article describes a study which found that over half the malnutrition in the country is clustered in functional groups economically connected to the agricultural sector and which indicates that food availability is a serious problem for 25% of the population. Food intake deficits were equally prevalent among the urban and rural populations. Dietary composition was not seen as the principal problem; rather malnutrition problems are linked to low wages and poor access to public services. A nutrition policy for Panama must be centred first on employment and income generation, and then on extending and maintaining public health and nutrition services, particularly for the extremely poor in the central provinces. Food policy per se would not seem a priority area for public intervention.