Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya
The lack of a reliably safe food supply in developing countries imposes major costs on both public health and market performance. This paper addresses the question of whether and why food processing firms voluntarily invest in food safety in the absence of effective regulatory enforcement. Using dat...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Artículo preliminar |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149390 |
| _version_ | 1855537262917320704 |
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| author | Moser, Christine Hoffmann, Vivian |
| author_browse | Hoffmann, Vivian Moser, Christine |
| author_facet | Moser, Christine Hoffmann, Vivian |
| author_sort | Moser, Christine |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | The lack of a reliably safe food supply in developing countries imposes major costs on both public health and market performance. This paper addresses the question of whether and why food processing firms voluntarily invest in food safety in the absence of effective regulatory enforcement. Using data from more than 900 maize flour samples representing 23 distinct brands in eastern and central Kenya, we explore the relationship between price, brand, and aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin is a toxin common in maize, groundnuts, and other crops around the world; and although it is unobservable to the consumer, it may be correlated with other quality characteristics. We find a strong negative correlation between price and contamination rates, which is consistent with certain brands investing more in quality to avoid loss of reputational capital. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace149390 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1493902025-11-06T07:19:36Z Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya Moser, Christine Hoffmann, Vivian mycotoxins strategies policies health food safety aflatoxins regulation developing countries compliance The lack of a reliably safe food supply in developing countries imposes major costs on both public health and market performance. This paper addresses the question of whether and why food processing firms voluntarily invest in food safety in the absence of effective regulatory enforcement. Using data from more than 900 maize flour samples representing 23 distinct brands in eastern and central Kenya, we explore the relationship between price, brand, and aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin is a toxin common in maize, groundnuts, and other crops around the world; and although it is unobservable to the consumer, it may be correlated with other quality characteristics. We find a strong negative correlation between price and contamination rates, which is consistent with certain brands investing more in quality to avoid loss of reputational capital. 2015-02-06 2024-08-01T02:49:19Z 2024-08-01T02:49:19Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149390 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149405 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149873 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Moser, Christine; Hoffmann, Vivian. 2015. Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1416. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149390 |
| spellingShingle | mycotoxins strategies policies health food safety aflatoxins regulation developing countries compliance Moser, Christine Hoffmann, Vivian Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya |
| title | Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya |
| title_full | Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya |
| title_short | Firm heterogeneity in food safety provision: Evidence from aflatoxin tests in Kenya |
| title_sort | firm heterogeneity in food safety provision evidence from aflatoxin tests in kenya |
| topic | mycotoxins strategies policies health food safety aflatoxins regulation developing countries compliance |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149390 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT moserchristine firmheterogeneityinfoodsafetyprovisionevidencefromaflatoxintestsinkenya AT hoffmannvivian firmheterogeneityinfoodsafetyprovisionevidencefromaflatoxintestsinkenya |