Food Safety and Adverse Selection in Rural Maize Markets

Without enforced standards or reliable third-party verification, food safety threats such as pesticide residues and aflatoxin contamination are generally unobservable or only partially observable to both buyers and sellers, especially of staple foods in rural maize markets in sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, sellers have more information about food quality than do buyers. Such information asymmetries can impede market development and undermine human health. We study farm household behaviour in the context of imperfect food safety information. We pool observations obtained from 707 food storage containers maintained by 309 farm households in Benin, surveyed following the maize harvests of 2011/2012 and 2013/2014. Our results indicate that when a household perceives a food safety risk associated with application of insecticides, on average it is 33 percentage points less likely to apply insecticides to maize it intends to consume than it is to maize it intends to sell. These individuals are also more likely to sell maize than households without food safety concerns. Results highlight the potential value of improved storage technologies and quality control to promote market transactions and reduce hidden health risks.     

Price Transmission in Nigerian Food Security Crop Markets

This paper comprehensively examines price transmission from world, neighbour country, and internal commercial hub markets to Nigerian urban markets, as well as from urban to rural markets within the country, for seven key food security crops (maize, millet, sorghum, rice, cassava, yams and cowpeas). There are three key findings: (i) tradability matters for price transmission, but tradability varies across crops and regions. The strongest international linkages are with neighbouring countries. Rice price transmission is high across all markets, while coarse grain price correspondence is low with world prices but high with neighbour country market prices; (ii) our results imply that local conditions matter for price transmission, and are relatively more important than trade for some crops (e.g. yams, cassava) than others (e.g. imported rice, maize); (iii) larger than expected long‐run price transmission parameters in world and neighbour countries for rice and coarse grains suggest that, in these select markets, there are either large transactions costs or quality premiums that vary systematically with border prices, and/or mark‐ups captured by traders with market power.     

消费者生鲜食品的质量信息认知和安全消费行为分析

本文通过对我国3个省份消费者的生鲜食品质量认知和安全消费行为的实证研究,结果表明:消费者购物渠道的选择与当地的经济发展水平和市场发育程度密切相关;消费者的家庭收入、受教育水平和所在地的市场发育程度对其认证食品的消费有显著的正向影响;尽管消费者对认证食品的质量评价较好,由于经济条件的限制以及消费者无法确定食品质量等因素,导致消费者对认证食品没有产生现实的购买力.为此,应加强政府组织对食品质量信息的监管,保证食品认证标准的统一性和真实性.逐步降低认证食品的生产成本和信息传递成本,从而降低认证食品的总体价格水平,增强消费者对安全食品的购买能力.     

Food Consumption Trends in the Pacific Rim

The growing affluence of the Pacific Rim countries has changed food consumption patterns. Diets in the region have become more diverse and well-balanced nutritionally. Western-style foods are becoming increasingly popular and available to people in the region. The rapid growth of fast-food chains and supermarkets present U.S. agricultural exporters with a myriad of opportunities for exporting food products to the Pacific Rim. Food producers who are willing to modify their products to the tastes of Pacific Rim consumers will have the most success. By reformulating food products and developing new packaging technologies more high-value foods can be sold in the Pacific Rim. U.S. food processors must also develop improved methods of processing traditional foods eaten by people in the region into more convenient forms. Finally, it is important for U.S. agricultural exporters to keep a close watch on the changing trends in food consumption in the region in order to stay competitive and increase their opportunities for entering new markets.     

Consumer Response to Information about a Functional Food Product: Apples Enriched with Antioxidants

Interest in functional foods has been growing as consumers become increasingly concerned with diet and nutrition. This article measures consumers' responses to apples enriched with an antioxidant coating. Antioxidant‐enriched apples are believed to provide additional health benefits reducing the risk of cancer and heart diseases. We discuss the consumer's benefit‐risk trade‐offs. Although functional food products provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, some consumers may reject them because they utilize new technology. Face‐to‐face consumer surveys with contingent valuation questions were conducted in Seattle and Spokane, Washington in 2006. Consumers who choose where to shop based on organic availability are less likely to pay a premium for apples enriched with antioxidants. Also, there is evidence that consumers in Spokane are more likely to pay a premium for the product than consumers in supermarkets in Seattle. Information regarding the potential health benefits of antioxidants has a positive significant effect on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP). The estimated mean WTP suggests that there is a small premium associated with this product in the mind of an average consumer. L'intérêt pour les aliments fonctionnels ne cesse de croître étant donné que les consommateurs s'intéressent de plus en plus au régime alimentaire et à la nutrition. Le présent article évalue la réaction des consommateurs à la vente de pommes enrobées d'antioxydants. On croit que les pommes enrichies d'antioxydants procureraient des bienfaits supplémentaires pour la santé en diminuant le risque de cancer et de cardiopathies. Nous avons examiné les avantages et les risques pour le consommateur. Bien que les aliments fonctionnels apportent des bienfaits pour la santé en plus d'une nutrition de base, certains consommateurs peuvent les refuser parce qu'ils ont nécessité l'utilisation de nouvelles technologies. En 2006, nous avons effectué, à Seattle et à Spokane dans l'État de Washington, des sondages en personne à l'aide de l'approche des préférences exprimées. Les consommateurs qui choisissaient un magasin d'alimentation en fonction de la disponibilité de produits biologiques étaient moins enclins à payer une prime pour obtenir des pommes enrichies d'antioxydants. Les consommateurs de Spokane ont semblé plus enclins à payer une prime pour ce produit que les consommateurs qui fréquentaient les supermarchés de Seattle. L'information sur les bienfaits potentiels des antioxydants sur la santé a des répercussions positives considérables sur la volonté de payer des consommateurs. La volonté de payer moyenne estimative laisse supposer que, dans l'esprit du consommateur moyen, ce produit procure un certain avantage.     

我国农产品批发市场存在的问题及对策研究

农产品批发市场是为农产品集中交易提供场所的有形市场,近年来,伴随着市场经济的不断发展,我国农产品批发市场逐渐呈现出许多急需解决的问题。本文分析了我国农产品批发市场发展现状及存在的问题,并就应采取的对策进行了有益的探讨。     

Food Product Acceptance in Foreign Distribution Channels

This article examines some of the factors associated with gaining product acceptance by middlemen in export channels. Our thesis is that a major problem for (potential) exporters is not so much to select, but rather to be selected by middlemen in the target country. If significant differences of opinion occur between exporter and importer regarding the importance of certain product and/or organizational factors, the product acceptance decision may be negative. This study focuses on the opinions of U.S. importers and Dutch exporters of food and beverage products with respect to the final step of the import-export interaction model; the buying decision.     

Strategic Marketing and the Dynamics of Food Consumption

Patterns of food consumption shift as countries develop, incomes increase, and lifestyles change. Strategic marketing in this dynamic environment involves aiming at moving targets. Fortunately, some of these changes in demand for food products can be anticipated by understanding those that have already occurred. We consider changes in consumption over time for selected nations as they have developed and also compare a cross section of countries at different levels of development. Seeking and retaining markets in high-, middle-, or low-income countries requires an appreciation of the stages, dynamics, and nature of heir economic development and the implications for food demand.     

Values and Markets: an Analysis of Organic Farming Initiatives in Andalusia

This article sets out the overlapping political and cultural roots of an innovative farming co‐operative in Andalusia, one composed of both ex‐labourers and small farmers. One strand of values involves the realization of a food chain in which no capitalist enterprise can extract profit from their labours: this, together with various conceptions of personal and local autonomy, shapes much of their practice of organic farming. Nevertheless, their labour has to generate an acceptable livelihood through selling food in an environment dominated by large‐scale commercial agriculture in both the ‘conventional’ and ‘organic’ sectors. The article explains how they achieve this by building ties with consumers around a variety of shared values. This focus on the particularities of a radical food movement sheds light on many larger issues, both the nature of markets and competition in the dominant economy, and the debates about organic certification and ‘conventionalization’.     

Household Food Consumption in a Developing Economy:

The primary objective of this paper is to describe household rice consumption patterns in Nigeria with evidence from Imo State, determine the nature, magnitude and direction of income, price and cross price elasticities of demand, and examine the factors influencing household rice consumption. A budget survey of 50 randomly selected rural and urban households in Imo State, Nigeria, interviewed. The survey was repeated for 14 months between November 1984 and January 1986, providing the data used for analysis. There were significant differences between urban and rural household per capita daily rice consumption. Income (expenditure) elasticity of demand was greater than unity, and decreased, as expected, from low to high income groups. Household income was the most important determinant of food consumption. The implications of these findings for food and international trade policy are discussed.     

日本食物消费结构演变及启示

本研究根据收集到的与食物消费紧密相关的日本现有的历史数据资料,从食物消费结构总特征、不同人群年龄特征和收入水平、Marshall交叉价格弹性分析来解读日本国民食物消费结构(或模式)的演变过程以及相应阶段食物营养元素摄入变化特征。     

Consumers' Perception of Food Product Quality in Tunisia

Abstract

This paper investigates consumers' perception of food quality in Tunisia. In fact, the development of quality standards is driven by government regulations and mostly in response to export markets regulations. The role of consumers in this process is quite missing. This paper first highlights the current food safety and quality programs undertaken by the Tunisian government. Second, we use a sample of 150 consumers chosen at random at two of the largest hypermarkets in Tunisia to analyze consumers' behavior regarding quality. The paper shows strong concerns about hygiene among other quality attributes and strong awareness about quality and quality assurance schemes in general. Consumers are also motivated by habits of consuming home made products for hygiene and taste reasons. If appropriate quality systems were implemented to assure consumers about such attributes this would boost up demand for quality products.     

Green Food Consumption in China: Segmentation Based on Attitudes Toward Food Safety

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this report are twofold: to examine the demographic factors that drive demand for green food and to segment Chinese consumers based on their attitudes toward food safety. An online survey was used to collect consumer behavior information. A total of 402 responses were obtained covering participants who lived in 24 provinces and municipalities in China. Probit modeling, analysis of variance, and cluster analysis are used. Income, education, age, gender, presence of young children, household size, and overseas experience are variables that have an impact on green food purchase. Young, wealthy men, who have young children and live in a small household, are likely to buy green food. The survey shows that Chinese consumers are willing to pay a price premium for green food; however, price will be a major factor restricting the growth of the green food label in China, given market prices. Three segments―the “distrustful consumer,” the “ambivalent consumer,” and the “trusting consumer”―are identified for market segmentation purposes.     

Consumption of Economic Information in Agriculture

We develop a model of decision makers' demand for agricultural economic information services. This model treats choice of external decision-support services as a function of actors' assessment of how alternative investments in information complement their internal competencies. Data from a survey in four commodity systems are used to evaluate hypotheses as to how human capital, and functional role of actors in commodity systems affect demand for variously formatted information. By focusing on three axes of heterogeneity—diversity among decision makers, information service providers, and information—we are able to identify key structural and functional relationships in agricultural economic information systems.     

城镇化背景下食品消费的演进路径:中国经验

改革开放以来,中国开启了史无前例的城镇化进程。在此过程中,食品消费总量快速增长,食品消费结构不断升级。通过对中国1995~2012年度省级城乡消费数据的观察,居民消费除了具有典型的区域特征之外,还呈现出空间上的渐次递进的特点,这为研究中国食品消费演进提供了样本。以此为基础,本文采用QUAIDS模型估计了不同时点的食品消费特征,从而分离出食品消费演进路径中的收入效应与迁移效应;此外,考虑到食品消费在时间与空间上存在渐次递进的增长—稳定机制,本文根据2030年的外生设定条件,模拟了中国食品消费顶峰的具体情景。分析表明,中国食品消费顶峰所带来的生产与进口压力均在可接受范围之内。基于分析结果,本文认为,中国有必要适度调整现行的农业支持政策,以适应未来食品消费的新变化。     

Genetic Information in Agricultural Productivity and Product Development

Two prominent features of recent changes in agriculture have been the advent of precision breeding techniques and an increase in the level of information netputs in production. This article identifies ways in which these features may complement in expanding the variety of processed products, level of productivity, and rate of change in productivity. Using a martingale concept of information, we identify conditions under which information increases the incentives to invest and engage in product differentiation activities. A theory on how genetic uniformity can enhance the rate of learning through process experimentation, and so the rate of technical change, is developed.