Beef with environmental and quality attributes: Preferences of environmental group and general population consumers in Saskatchewan, Canada

Ken Belcher, Andrea Germann and Josef Schmutz

Agriculture and Human Values, 2007, vol. 24, issue 3, 333-342

Abstract: We attempt to quantify and qualify the preferences of consumers for beef with a number of environmental and food quality attributes. Our goal is to evaluate the viability of a proposed food co-operative based in the Wood River watershed of southern Saskatchewan, Canada. The food co-operative was designed to provide a price premium to producers who adopted alternative management practices. In addition, the study evaluated the acceptance of a proposed food co-operative by consumer that had environmental interests as compared to the general population. Conjoint analysis was used to determine the trade-off and relative value of beef with the following production and purchasing characteristics: (a) use of hormones, antibiotics and vaccination in production; (b) method of obtaining the beef including monthly or yearly purchase contracts or a local market; (c) price relative to beef purchased from the local grocery store; and (d) impact on the river ecosystem. Consumers from environmental groups had stronger environmental and food quality preferences than individuals from the general population. However, consumers from both groups expressed a willingness to pay higher prices for food that had these attributes. It was uncertain whether the magnitude of the premium, in combination with a desire not to enter a long-term purchasing commitment, would be large enough to encourage farmers to adopt the alternative management. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007

Keywords: Conjoint analysis; Consumer preferences; Credence attributes; Environmental goods and services; Riparian zones; Water quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10460-007-9069-x

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