Can information drive demand for safer food? Impact of brand-specific recommendations and test results on product choice

Sarah Kariuki¹
Vivian Hoffmann²

 ¹Wageningen University and Research
 ²International Food Policy Research Institute
 

Introduction

As an unobservable attribute, food safety is likely under-provided by markets in low and middle-income countries where regulatory enforcement is weak. Stimulating consumer demand for safer food can potentially encourage both food businesses and governments to invest in food safety. Previous research in our study region of eastern Kenya shows that the rate of contamination with a carcinogenic fungal toxin varied dramatically across maize flour brands, and was positively related to price (Hoffmann and Moser 2017). However, maize flour processors with better food safety track records do not generally use this information to market their products.         

Methods

We test the impact of providing brand-specific safety information and test results to consumers on product choice. Households in a mid-sized Kenyan town who had maize flour stored in the home were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: comparison, safer brands information, and safer brands information plus test. During a baseline visit, respondents in the comparison group were read a general statement about aflatoxin and the health effects of dietary exposure. Those assigned to the safer brands information treatment group were in addition informed about the relationship between aflatoxin contamination and maize flour price and were given the names of two brands most likely to comply with the regulatory aflatoxin standard. Those assigned to the information plus test group were given the same information as the safer brands information households, and in addition were offered the opportunity to have the maize flour in their home tested for aflatoxin using a rapid binary (10 ppb threshold) test kit. Results of the test were provided to participants immediately. At a follow-up visit conducted two months later, survey data on maize product choice was collected and the type of maize flour currently being consumed was directly observed.

Findings

Providing information on safer brands alone did not significantly affect the type of maize flour consumed. However, combining this information with an aflatoxin test of maize flour in the home at baseline increased both the likelihood that a safer brand was consumed at follow-up, and per-unit expenditures on maize flour, relative to the comparison group. Compared to those who received the safer brands message alone, those whose maize was tested were significantly more likely to mention aflatoxin safety as a reason for their choice of maize flour. The stronger impact of the testing treatment, relative to information only, is driven by consumers whose maize was found to contain aflatoxin above the regulatory limit; treatment effects for households in the testing group whose maize was found to comply with the Kenyan standard were similar to those in the safer brands information group. These results suggest that providing information on hazard prevalence for substitute products can increase the effectiveness of efforts to promote the consumption of safer foods.   

Conclusion

The wide variation in food safety across maize flour brands in Kenya, and the effect on consumer behavior of information on contamination shown in this study suggest that third-party provision of hazard prevalence information could both reduce exposure to food safety hazards in the short term, and increase market pressure on firms to invest in improving food safety in this context. This approach could be applied to other settings in which safety is found to vary significantly across substitute food products.

References

Hoffmann, Vivian and Christine Moser., 2017. You Get What You Pay for: The Link between Price and Food Safety in Kenya. Agricultural Economics (United Kingdom) 48(4):449–58.

"I have doubts": Adult Perspectives on Food Safety in Peri-Urban Tanzania

Bianca Lackings¹

Aloisia Shemdoe²

Dominic Mosha²

Morgan Boncyk³

Savannah Froese³

Cristiana Edwards³

Mary Mwanyika-Sando²

Japhet Z Killewo⁵

Germana H Leyna⁶

Crystal L. Patil¹

Nilupa S. Gunaratna⁴

Ramya Ambikapathi<sup>3,4

1</sup>Department of Women, Children & Family Health Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
²African Academy of Public Health, Tanzania
³Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, USA
⁴Department of Public Health, Purdue University, USA
⁵Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
⁶Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre, Tanzania

Introduction

Given the high impact that foodborne illnesses have on death and disability, food safety is a growing global health concern [1]. Increasingly, food safety beliefs and perceptions are playing a role in determine choice behaviors. At present, sub-Saharan African carries the largest per capita burden of foodborne diseases. Because people living with HIV (PLHIV) have increased susceptibility to infection, their understanding of the food environment and food safety are especially important [2]. Here, we describe perceptions of food safety of as conveyed by adults (PLHIV and those caring for PLHIV) living in peri-urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods

This study is part of the Diet, Environment, and Choices of positive living (DECIDE) study, a multi-methods study in which dietary intake, food choice, and food environment quantitative, qualitative, and geospatial data were collected among adult PLHIV and caregivers of PLHIV. After providing informed consent, qualitative interviews (n=40) with PLHIV (n=20) and caregivers (n=20) were completed (December 2018 – May 2019) in Swahili. Interviews were transcribed, translated, and checked for accuracy before coding to identify themes. Purdue University and Tanzania’s National Institute for Medical Research approved this protocol. For this analysis of we report on participants’ perceptions about food safety. Consistent with our data management and analytical approach [3], each author independently reviewed all transcripts to ensure immersion in the data. We then identified each participant’s responses to a specific interview questions about food safety. Responses were condensed, coded and reviewed to identify patterns in the data that lead to subcategories and themes reflecting common and different aspects of experiences [4]. Through a series of matrices, we categorized codes in the preset themes, and this process led to the generation of subthemes reflecting experiences and concerns about food safety. As the analysis progressed, all coauthors provided additional insights.

Findings

Over 60% of participants discussed various aspects of food safety. Some focused on specific foods with vegetables, commercial chickens, and juices most commonly considered as less safe. Others focused on chemicals and pesticides. The residues on leafy greens and tubers worried several. Others were concerned about fecal exposure based on growing location. A young man said, “I have doubts [about] vegetables because…I see how they are cultivated.” A PLHIV avoided buying juices because, “…most people making juices [do not prepare it in] a hygienic environment.” Like commercial chickens, energy drinks, bottled juices, and soda were deemed unsafe because of chemicals they contained. Diarrhea and stomach ailments were attributed to eating takeout or ingesting locally produced juices and/or snack foods. When this was a concern, participants often described avoiding eating outside of the home emphasizing that they prefer to prepare their own foods. Washing vegetables, familiarity with the food vendor, and observed cleanliness were strategies people used to protect themselves. For example, one participant said, “There is a window, so you can see the meat while you are outside [the butcher shop] … They just wear the white coats with no blood stains…[and] they use modern equipment [to cut the meat].”

Conclusion

Agricultural chemicals, exposure to sewage, and experiences are important drivers of food safety perceptions [5]. Another study focusing on unregulated fruit juice venders in Dar es Salaam showed that E. coli was detectable in 80% of the samples; this may explain why locally prepared juices were a concern. Participants felt they reduced their risk when they bought foods from trusted vendors. Moreover, participants equated observable cleanliness to being hygienic. This analysis sets the stage for developing tools to measure perceptions of food safety and begin to inform policy as well designing food vendor interventions that meets peoples’ needs [1].

References

Grace, D., Dominguez-Salas, P., Alonso, S., Fahrion, A., Haesler, B., Heilmann, M., Hoffmann, V., Kang’ethe, E., Roesel, K. and Lore, T. (2018). Food safety metrics relevant to low and middle income countries. Technical Brief. Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Food Safety Working Group. Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions programme. London, UK.

Aberman, N.-L., Rawat, R., Drimie, S., Claros, J. M., & Kadiyala, S. (2014). Food Security and Nutrition Interventions in Response to the Aids Epidemic: Assessing Global Action and Evidence. AIDS and Behavior, 18(5), 554–565. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0822-z

Creswell, J. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE

Miles, M., Huberman, M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE

 Bailey, C., Garg, V., Kapoor, D., Wasser, H., Prabhakaran, D., & Jaacks, L. M. (2018). Food Choice Drivers in the Context of the Nutrition Transition in Delhi, India. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 50(7), 675–686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2018.03.013

Consumer demand for seafood safety and environmental sustainability certification: experimental evidence from Nigeria

Nhuong Tran¹

Kelvin Mashisia Shikuku²

Vivian Hoffmann³

Lauren Pincus¹

Shehu Latunji Akintola⁴

Kafayat Adetoun Fakoya⁴

Carl Johan Lagerkvist⁵

 ¹WorldFish, Yangon, Myanmar
 ²WorldFish, Penang, Malaysia
 ³International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
 ⁴Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria
 ⁵Sweden University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

Introduction

Foodborne illnesses caused 420,000 deaths and 33 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide in 2010 (WHO, 2015). Certification for food safety could help address foodborne illnesses (Hoffmann et al., 2019). Concern among consumers and regulators over the safety of fish/seafood has led to enforcement of stringent requirements in the global North. While such standards may constitute barriers to participation in export markets by small-scale aquaculture producers, they have catalyzed upgrades of value chains in developing countries. However, in most developing countries rigorous empirical evidence on consumers’ willingness to pay for fish/seafood safety certification is inadequate.    

Methods

We designed a framed experiment in the form of the Becker-DeGroote-Marschak (1964)—henceforth, BDM—mechanism to elicit consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for safety certified fish. The experiment was conducted with 200 consumers in main fish markets and roadside markets in Lagos, Nigeria. The experiment involved eight catfish products, varying in certification status (certified/safety labelled vs uncertified/non-safety labelled), size (250g versus 500g for smoked fish; and 500g vs 1000g for live fish), and form (smoked vs live). In order to prevent potential order effects, we randomized the order in which fish products were presented. A simple market exercise was then used to give a participant a chance to buy a fish product for himself or herself and family members. In order to ensure participant’s full understanding of the market exercise and to minimize game form misperception (GFM) problem the real experiment with fish was preceded with a warm-up exercise using candies. Although individuals bid for eight fish products, only one was actually purchased if the bidding price exceeded the reservation price for that product. Selection of the product was determined randomly in STATA prior to the experiment.

Findings

We find positive and significant premiums for certified catfish. Consumers were willing to pay between 12.5%-29% more for certified fish than non-certified fish. Furthermore, there was asymmetry in the value of the certification scheme; willingness to pay for aquaculture certification was greater for larger-sized fish than smaller-sized fish. For small-sized fish, willingness to pay was only significantly positive for smoked fish, but not live fish.

Conclusion

Consumption of safe and healthy diets is an imperative for realizing food and nutritional security, and achieving sustainable development goals. Consumers' in Nigeria are willing to pay price premiums for seafood safety and environmental sustainability certification. The value of the certification scheme is asymmetric suggesting the need to design different schemes for small value and high value fish products. Furthermore, follow up studies are needed to examine whether the premiums can be transferred back to producers to incentivize adoption of best management practices.

References

Becker, G. M., DeGroot, M.H., and Marschak, J., 1964. Measuring Utility by a Single-Response Sequential Method. Behavioral Science, 9, 226–232. 
Hoffmann, V., Moser, C., and Saak, A., 2019. Food safety in low and middle-income countries: The evidence through an economic lens. World Development, 123, 104611.
World Health Organization, 2015. WHO estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases: foodborne disease burden epidemiology reference group 2007–2015.