Can information drive demand for safer food? Impact of brand-specific recommendations and test results on product choice
| dc.creator | Wairimu Kariuki, Sarah | |
| dc.creator | Hoffmann, Vivian | |
| dc.date | 2022-05 | |
| dc.date | 2024-04-12T13:37:36Z | |
| dc.date | 2024-04-12T13:37:36Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-06-27T15:38:26Z | |
| dc.description | 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. | |
| dc.identifier | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141274 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/110280 | |
| dc.language | en | |
| dc.publisher | International Association of Agricultural Economists | |
| dc.rights | Open Access | |
| dc.source | Wairimu Kariuki, Sarah; and Hoffmann, Vivian. 2022. Can information drive demand for safer food? Impact of brand-specific recommendations and test results on product choice. Agricultural Economics 53(3): 454-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12685 | |
| dc.subject | consumer behaviour | |
| dc.subject | maize | |
| dc.subject | food safety | |
| dc.subject | aflatoxins | |
| dc.subject | information | |
| dc.title | Can information drive demand for safer food? Impact of brand-specific recommendations and test results on product choice | |
| dc.type | Journal Article |