Can information drive demand for safer food? Impact of brand-specific recommendations and test results on product choice
No hay miniatura disponible
Fecha
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
International Association of Agricultural Economists
Resumen
Descripción
As an unobservable attribute, food safety is likely to be under-provided by markets where regulatory enforcement is weak. In such settings, stimulating consumer demand for safer food can potentially encourage market actors to invest in food safety. Through a randomized trial in Kenya, we test the impact of informing consumers about which maize flour brands are most likely to comply with the regulatory standard for aflatoxin, a carcinogenic fungal byproduct. Providing information on safer brands alone does not significantly affect consumption behavior. However, when the same information is combined with a test performed on the maize flour stocked by the household, the likelihood that a safer brand is consumed 2 months later is 76% higher than in the comparison group. Our findings suggest that providing information on the relative riskiness of substitute foods could encourage consumers to make safer choices.
Palabras clave
consumer behaviour, maize, food safety, aflatoxins, information