Are consumers concerned about palm oil? Evidence from a lab experiment

Anne-Célia Disdier, Stéphan Marette (stephan.marette@agroparistech.fr) and Guy Millet

Food Policy, 2013, vol. 43, issue C, 180-189

Abstract: A lab experiment evaluates the consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for food products made with and without palm oil. Palm oil production induces environmental damages, and its consumption presents a health risk. However, the production of alternative oils raises land use issues. In the experiment, successive messages emphasizing the characteristics of palm oil and palm oil-free products are delivered to participants. Information has a significant influence on WTP when it underlines the negative impact of the related product. This effect is stronger for the palm oil product than for the palm oil-free product. The experiment also compares the welfare effects of two regulatory instruments, namely a consumer information campaign versus a per-unit tax. Because of the respective attributes of both palm oil and palm oil-free products, the information campaign improves welfare with a much larger impact than the tax.

Keywords: Consumer information campaign; Experimental economics; Palm oil; Per-unit tax; Willingness to pay (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Working Paper: Are Consumers Concerned about Palm Oil? Evidence from a Lab Experiment (2013)
Working Paper: Are consumers concerned about palm oil? Evidence from a lab experiment (2013)
Working Paper: Are consumers concerned about palm oil? Evidence from a lab experiment (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:43:y:2013:i:c:p:180-189

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2013.09.003

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