Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City

Diets in Mexico, like many countries, have changed dramatically in recent decades, with increased consumption of processed foods being a major factor. Research suggests that unhealthy diets in low-income communities reflect limited access to healthy foods, combined with high costs and limited knowle...

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Autores principales: Dominguez-Viera, Marcos E., Berg, Marrit van den, Donovan, Jason A., Pérez Luna, Miriam E., Ospina Rojas, Diana, Handgraaf, Michel
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/126289
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author Dominguez-Viera, Marcos E.
Berg, Marrit van den
Donovan, Jason A.
Pérez Luna, Miriam E.
Ospina Rojas, Diana
Handgraaf, Michel
author_browse Berg, Marrit van den
Dominguez-Viera, Marcos E.
Donovan, Jason A.
Handgraaf, Michel
Ospina Rojas, Diana
Pérez Luna, Miriam E.
author_facet Dominguez-Viera, Marcos E.
Berg, Marrit van den
Donovan, Jason A.
Pérez Luna, Miriam E.
Ospina Rojas, Diana
Handgraaf, Michel
author_sort Dominguez-Viera, Marcos E.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Diets in Mexico, like many countries, have changed dramatically in recent decades, with increased consumption of processed foods being a major factor. Research suggests that unhealthy diets in low-income communities reflect limited access to healthy foods, combined with high costs and limited knowledge. Weak demand signals from these communities likely disincentivise the food industry from delivering healthier, often costlier, options. This paper explores the potential to market healthy processed foods to these areas. We elicited willingness to pay (WTP) for healthier but relatively more expensive processed foods in low-income communities of Mexico City. We implemented a BDM mechanism to elicit WTP, with half of the participants randomly receiving information regarding nutritional content and health benefits. Results suggested that WTP was considerable among low-income groups but higher among higher-income groups within these communities. While, in general, providing nutrition and health information did not influence WTP, it was effective for those with strong preferences for the processed food category used in the study. WTP was highest among females and younger consumers, those who had a small family and children below 12 years in the household.
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spelling CGSpace1262892025-10-26T13:01:49Z Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City Dominguez-Viera, Marcos E. Berg, Marrit van den Donovan, Jason A. Pérez Luna, Miriam E. Ospina Rojas, Diana Handgraaf, Michel diet consumption processed foods low income groups food health costs demand food industry nutrition gender women age families children food science Diets in Mexico, like many countries, have changed dramatically in recent decades, with increased consumption of processed foods being a major factor. Research suggests that unhealthy diets in low-income communities reflect limited access to healthy foods, combined with high costs and limited knowledge. Weak demand signals from these communities likely disincentivise the food industry from delivering healthier, often costlier, options. This paper explores the potential to market healthy processed foods to these areas. We elicited willingness to pay (WTP) for healthier but relatively more expensive processed foods in low-income communities of Mexico City. We implemented a BDM mechanism to elicit WTP, with half of the participants randomly receiving information regarding nutritional content and health benefits. Results suggested that WTP was considerable among low-income groups but higher among higher-income groups within these communities. While, in general, providing nutrition and health information did not influence WTP, it was effective for those with strong preferences for the processed food category used in the study. WTP was highest among females and younger consumers, those who had a small family and children below 12 years in the household. 2022-01 2022-12-23T11:44:22Z 2022-12-23T11:44:22Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/126289 en Open Access Elsevier Dominguez-Viera, Marcos E.; van den Berg, Marrit; Donovan, Jason; Perez-Luna, Miriam E.; Ospina-Rojas, Diana; and Handgraaf, Michel. 2022. Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City. Food Quality and Preference 95: 104362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104362
spellingShingle diet
consumption
processed foods
low income groups
food
health
costs
demand
food industry
nutrition
gender
women
age
families
children
food science
Dominguez-Viera, Marcos E.
Berg, Marrit van den
Donovan, Jason A.
Pérez Luna, Miriam E.
Ospina Rojas, Diana
Handgraaf, Michel
Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City
title Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City
title_full Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City
title_fullStr Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City
title_full_unstemmed Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City
title_short Demand for healthier and higher-priced processed foods in low-income communities: Experimental evidence from Mexico City
title_sort demand for healthier and higher priced processed foods in low income communities experimental evidence from mexico city
topic diet
consumption
processed foods
low income groups
food
health
costs
demand
food industry
nutrition
gender
women
age
families
children
food science
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/126289
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