Discovering Niche Market： Consumer Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Organic Pork

With the concern for environmental quality and food safety, organic food products are becoming more important in the global market. In recent years the organic food industry has been expanding and sales of organic products have been increasing. Abundant studies have been done focusing on organic fruits and vegetables which focused on the shortage of organic live stocks. In this paper we focus our attention on organic pork products. Using a sample of 400 Thais consumers, this study proposes the contingent valuation （CV） technique to measure the willingness of individuals to pay a price premium for organic pork in Thailand. In order to obtain the mean ＂willingness to pay＂ （WTP）, a bivariate probit model was applied to provide information about the crucial variables that affect the WTP. The study revealed that variables that better approximate WTP are based on the lifestyle and knowledge about organic foods rather than the usual socioeconomic factors. The mean WTP on the premium price for organic pork is approximately 34.30 Bath per kg. In order to access the market potential this study shows that the suitable attributes of organic pork which is consistent with consumer preferences are composed of modernized and environmental packaging with special product details. Marketing this product to the buyer it should be set at a reasonable price. Stimulating the market should be done by doing sales promotion and public relations on a regularly basis. In addition, organic pork should be available in any places and convenient for customers to buy.

Consumers’experiences and preferences for plant-based meat food:Evidence from a choice experiment in four cities of China

This paper examined consumers’experiences in and preferences for plant-based meat(PBM)food and their respective correlates,based on data from an online survey of 579 consumers in four major cities in China in early 2021.We first described consumers’experiences in consuming and purchasing PBM food and their correlates,and then analyzed consumer preferences using hypothetical choice experiment.The experiment offered consumers various options to purchase burgers made from PBM or animal-based meat(ABM),combined with different countries of origin(COO),taste labels,and prices.Our data showed that respondents hold overall positive attitudes toward PBM food;85 and 82%of respondents reported experience in eating and purchasing PBM food,respectively.More than half of them ate PBM food because they wanted to try new food(58%),or were interested in healthy food(56%).Income,religion,and dietary restrictions were significantly correlated with consumers’experiences in PBM food consumption.Results from the Random Parameter Logit Model based on the hypothetical choice experiment data showed that 79%of respondents chose PBM burgers and were willing to pay an average of 88 CNY for a PBM burger.We also found that 99.8 and 83%of respondents are willing to buy burgers made in China and those with a taste label,with a willingness to pay(WTP)of 208 and 120 CNY,respectively.The heterogeneity test revealed that females and those with at least a bachelor’s degree,higher income,religious beliefs,and dietary restrictions are more likely to buy PBM burgers than their counterparts.

Consumers＇ Preferences for Quality and Safety Attributes of Milk Products in Niger： A Best-Worst Scaling Approach

The overall objective of this research was to determine consumers＇ preferences for quality and safety attributes of milk products using advances in the best-worst scaling approach. A list of 16 quality and safety attributes of milk products based on previous studies was compiled and used in this study. The balanced incomplete block design technique was used to build the questionnaire administered to respondents in the data collection. The multinomial mixed logit was employed to analyze the data. Results suggest that nutritive value, shelf life, availability, purity and safety are the most important attributes of milk product; while origin, fat content, food miles, packaging and handling convenience are the least importance attributes of milk products to consumers The study concludes that demand for dairy products can be significantly stimulated in the study area when these most important attributes have been considered by producers, processors and marketers.

Urban Consumer Attitudes to Fresh Produce Safety in China

The objective of this study was to explain the determinants of the fresh vegetables purchase decision by Chinese urban consumers in Beijing including awareness and attitudes to food safety, and their willingness to pay （WTP） more for specific safety characteristics when buying fresh vegetables. The research rationale arises out of a history of food safety scares and scandals in China, and a national government response to promote quality assurance and safety through labelling. The primary hypothesis was that an understanding of food safety systems and product labelling, and trust in supply chain integrity would be key determinants in consumer willingness to purchase and pay more for safety assured vegetables. Based on a questionnaire survey of consumers in Beijing, the analysis found that the major factors underlying the purchase decision of fresh vegetables were product freshness, convenience and competitive price rather than assured product labelling. The decisions whether to purchase assurance-labelled vegetables and WTP more for chemical residue-free product were analysed by binomial and ordinal multinomial logit modelling respectively. It revealed a WTP moreof between 20% and 40%. Monthly household income was a key determinant of both quality assured product and WTP, together with degree of concern over residues, trust in retailer and assurance labels and place of purchase. The results suggest much still remains to be done to build trust though rigorous monitoring and enforcement of food safety standards to improve supply chain integrity and consumer confidence.

Improve access to the EU market by identifying French consumer preference for fresh fruit from China

Most previous studies have investigated country-of-origin effect for agricultural products from the economically developed country, but few have focused on the impact of country-of-origin on agricultural products from economically developing countries. Using a national online survey in France, we determine French consumers＇ perceptions and preferences for fresh fruit from China. Results of ordered logit models show that fresh fruit from China was perceived as low quality and unsafe. Respondents who care about country-of-origin were less likely to purchase fresh fruit from China, while those who care about brand were more likely to buy Chinese fresh fruit. Risk perception and quality perception both had a significant impact on the purchase of Chinese fresh fruit. Results of latent class models obtained with key consumer demographics show that heterogeneous preferences exist among different consumer groups. The results provide critical information to both China and other economically developing countries in their efforts to improve market penetration in economically developed countries.

Preference and Willingness of Consumers to Pay for Value-added Poultry Products in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

There has been a steady growth in demand for convenience and ready-cooked food has influenced the interest of poultry processors in developing value-added chicken products that meet consumers＇ demand/choice. A conjoint analysis was done in this study on the survey of 975 chicken consumers in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, between March and September, 2014 to valuate consumers, preferences and willingness to pay （WTP） for various chicken attributed parts, production method, processing method, storage method, the presence of flavor and cooking method. The estimates of consumers, WTP premium prices for various mixtures of value-added characteristics were ascertained. The consumers preferred chicken products refrigerated, from chicken produced under free-range management, chicken breast, chicken product that was addictive and flavor free, which could be oven-heated or pan heated. One half of the entire respondents were willing to pay about 25% more for value-added chicken product over the price for conventional products. On the whole, a premium for value-added chicken products was more likely to be paid for by young consumers, consumers who patronized farmers＇ markets and preferred free-range or organic chicken products. WTP by consumers was negatively affected by price of products. The poultry industry could utilize combined knowledge of consumers＇ WTP for value-added chicken product price as a guide of develop innovative value-added chicken products.

Consumer Preference and Consumption Pattern of Marine Fish Species in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria

Despite the nutritive value of finfish, the domestic production is inadequate to meet the national demand. Due to the high demand of 2.66 million metric tons per annum for fish, Nigeria imported 740,000 tons in 2007 to supplement the domestic production of 615,507 tons. A study was conducted in Ibadan Metropolis of Oyo State （a land locked state） to determine the consumer preference and pattern of marine fish species consumed. Stratified sampling method was used to select respondents from three income earning levels of the five local government areas in Ibadan Metropolis. Questionnaires were administered to 51 marine fish retailers and 151 households. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Tobit regression model. Marine fish sellers ranked horse mackerel （Scomberjaponicus） first and croaker （Pseudotholithus species） the least because it is more priced. Only 10.6% and 13.2% of the households preferred express （Brevortia species） and croaker respectively, but Hake （Gadus gadus） was the least preferred （41.7%）. The household consumed varying proportions of fish species every week. The regression result （R2 = 0.65） showed that married household heads with large household size having lower years/level of education, younger in age and earning lower income are likely to consume more of marine frozen fish species （P 〈 0.01） than others.

Key Factors Involved in Lamb Quality from Farm to Fork in Europe

World lamb consumption is approximately 2 kg per capita with large variations between continents, e.g., 17 kg in Oceania vs. 0.7 kg in North America. With less than one million tonnes, the international trade of sheep meat contributes to a small percentage of the total meat exchanged between countries. On the other hand, lamb represents the highest rate of species trading in relation to the total sheep meat produced. It is therefore likely to ifnd a wide variability of different lamb products in the same market, and that the conservation procedures （such as refrigeration, packaging or freezing）, chemical composition, especially the fat due to its implication in human health, lfavour development and juiciness perception （affected, i.e., by the feeding or the age or slaughter weight of the animal） and acceptability （based on culinary background） could be considered important indicators of this advantageous situation. In this paper some studies related to the aforementioned indicators are discussed.

ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES AND CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY BEVERAGE PACKAGING:THE ROLE OF INFORMATION PROVISION AND IDENTITY LABELING IN INFLUENCING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

This study examined whether urban Chinese consumers with stronger environmental values have higher valuations for plastic beverage bottles that are made of post-consumer recycled material(rPET)or that come in large sizes that use plastic more efficiently.It also assesses the effectiveness of environmental information provision and green identity labeling in increasing consumer willingness to pay for environmentally-friendly packaging.The results suggest that urban Chinese consumers are willing to pay a premium for rPET bottles,indicating that there is a potential market for rPET food and beverage packaging in China that calls for manufacturing guidelines,safety standards,or regulations.Providing environmental information and attaching green identity labels increases consumer valuations of rPET bottles,with their joint use exerting the largest effect.Pro-environmental consumers are more responsive to environmental information and green identity labeling and thus are willing to pay a higher premium for rPET bottles.However,in terms of choosing large bottles as a means to reduce plastic use in product packaging,consumers were found to be indifferent about plastic bottle sizes even after receiving environmental information.It is suggested that the inconvenience of carrying or storing large bottles might have offset their perceived environmental benefits.

Analysis of Review Helpfulness Based on Consumer Perspective

When consumers make purchase decisions, they generally refer to the reviews generated by other consumers who have already purchased similar products in order to get more information. Online transaction platforms provide a highly convenient channel for consumers to generate and retrieve product reviews. In addition, consumers can also vote reviews perceived to be helpful in making their decision. However, due to diverse characteristics, consumers can have different preferences on products and reviews. Their voting behavior can be influenced by reviews and existing review votes. To explore the influence mechanism of the reviewer, the review, and the existing votes on review helpfulness, we propose three hypotheses based on the consumer perspective and perform statistical tests to verify these hypotheses with real review data from Amazon. Our empirical study indicates that review helpfulness has significant correlation and trend with reviewers, review valance, and review votes. In this paper, we also discuss the implications of our findings on consumer preference and review helpfulness.

Optimal physicochemical properties of dried litchis for Thai consumers

The litchi is a fruit essential for the economies of several Southeast Asian countries,but markets regularly reject it,mainly due to spoilage.Drying extends the shelf-life of litchis,but in Thailand the optimal characteristics of the dried product have not yet been determined.The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum physicochemical properties of dried litchis-those suitable for Thai consumers.The dried fruits were submitted to physicochemical measurement and consumer evaluation,with datasets subsequently integrated using circular ideal-point regression analysis.Response surface methodology was then used to predict the optimum physicochemical properties of the fruits.It was found that Thai consumer preferences with regard to dried litchis are for the fruits to be of golden-yellow color(L*ranging around 54;H ranging around 79°),to have a soft flesh(SMF ranging between 13 and 14 kN/100 g)and to have a sweet taste(TSS:TA ranging between 25 and 28).The results may be used in the future to prescribe pretreatments and drying conditions.