Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising
In countries where regulatory enforcement is weak, voluntary third‐party verification of firms' food safety processes can allow concerned consumers to select safer products. However, due in part to their legal ambiguity, and the potential to attract additional regulatory scrutiny, food safety claims...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Agricultural and Applied Economics Association
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142320 |
| _version_ | 1855540693529788416 |
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| author | Hoffmann, Vivian Moser, Christine Herrman, Timothy J. |
| author_browse | Herrman, Timothy J. Hoffmann, Vivian Moser, Christine |
| author_facet | Hoffmann, Vivian Moser, Christine Herrman, Timothy J. |
| author_sort | Hoffmann, Vivian |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | In countries where regulatory enforcement is weak, voluntary third‐party verification of firms' food safety processes can allow concerned consumers to select safer products. However, due in part to their legal ambiguity, and the potential to attract additional regulatory scrutiny, food safety claims are rarely made by firms. As a result, the impact of such claims on consumer demand is not well understood. We examine how labeling maize as tested for aflatoxin, a carcinogen also associated with stunting in children, affects sales. By randomly varying the timing and intensity of a marketing campaign to promote the first maize flour brand in Kenya labeled as tested for aflatoxin, we characterize dynamic consumer response to information about food safety. We find an immediate response in sales to marketing alone, which disappears as soon as marketing ceases. Sales remain elevated in the weeks after a temporary discount is offered, but this effect also fades over time and is not associated with greater awareness of the firm's food safety claims. These results suggest that it is unrealistic to expect for‐profit firms serving mass markets in low‐ and middle‐income countries to invest heavily in marketing based on food safety claims. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace142320 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Agricultural and Applied Economics Association |
| publisherStr | Agricultural and Applied Economics Association |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1423202025-02-24T06:47:52Z Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising Hoffmann, Vivian Moser, Christine Herrman, Timothy J. mycotoxins consumer behaviour advertising maize food safety aflatoxins prices In countries where regulatory enforcement is weak, voluntary third‐party verification of firms' food safety processes can allow concerned consumers to select safer products. However, due in part to their legal ambiguity, and the potential to attract additional regulatory scrutiny, food safety claims are rarely made by firms. As a result, the impact of such claims on consumer demand is not well understood. We examine how labeling maize as tested for aflatoxin, a carcinogen also associated with stunting in children, affects sales. By randomly varying the timing and intensity of a marketing campaign to promote the first maize flour brand in Kenya labeled as tested for aflatoxin, we characterize dynamic consumer response to information about food safety. We find an immediate response in sales to marketing alone, which disappears as soon as marketing ceases. Sales remain elevated in the weeks after a temporary discount is offered, but this effect also fades over time and is not associated with greater awareness of the firm's food safety claims. These results suggest that it is unrealistic to expect for‐profit firms serving mass markets in low‐ and middle‐income countries to invest heavily in marketing based on food safety claims. 2021-01-01 2024-05-22T12:10:19Z 2024-05-22T12:10:19Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142320 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146736 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133582 https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.259133 Open Access Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Hoffmann, Vivian; Moser, Christine; and Herrman, Timothy J. 2021. Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 103(1): 275-295. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12093 |
| spellingShingle | mycotoxins consumer behaviour advertising maize food safety aflatoxins prices Hoffmann, Vivian Moser, Christine Herrman, Timothy J. Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising |
| title | Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising |
| title_full | Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising |
| title_fullStr | Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising |
| title_full_unstemmed | Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising |
| title_short | Demand for aflatoxin‐safe maize in Kenya: Dynamic response to price and advertising |
| title_sort | demand for aflatoxin safe maize in kenya dynamic response to price and advertising |
| topic | mycotoxins consumer behaviour advertising maize food safety aflatoxins prices |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142320 |
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