ECONOMIC ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD SAFETY

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

AN ECONOMETRIC MODEL OF THE MARKET FOR NEW ENGLAND GROUNDFISH

This paper develops an economic model of the New England groundfish market. A multi-sector, multi-level econometric model is estimated using data from 1970 to 1982. The parameters of the estimated model are used to characterize consumer demand for groundfish and related products. Retail and exvessel demands for fresh and frozen groundfish fillets are found to be highly elastic. Fresh fillets especially show high income elasticity of demand, reflecting their status as a luxury good. Only a very small and statistically weak relationship was found between the prices of imported groundfish and domestic exvessel prices indicating that proposals to assist the domestic industry via tariffs may be ineffectual.Marketing,

THE ECONOMICS OF IMPROVING FOOD SAFETY

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

MODELING THE COSTS OF FOOD SAFETY REGULATION

Food safety, regulatory costs, cost/benefit analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Benefits of Protecting Rural Water Quality: An Empirical Analysis

Concerns about the impact of farm production on the quality of the Nation's drinking and recreational water resources have risen over the past 10 years. Because point sources of pollution were controlled first, agricultural nonpoint sources have become the Nation's largest remaining single water-quality problem. Both public and private costs of policies that address the conflict between agricultural production and water quality are relevant, but measuring the off-farm benefits and costs of changing water quality is difficult. Many of the values placed on these resources are not measured in traditional ways through market prices. This report explores the use of nonmarket valuation methods to estimate the benefits of protecting or improving rural water quality from agricultural sources of pollution. Two case studies show how these valuation methods can be used to include water-quality benefits estimates in economic analyses of specific policies to prevent or reduce water pollution.water quality, nonpoint source pollution, environmental quality, agricultural production, costs, benefits, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

MEASURING CONSUMER BENEFITS OF FOOD SAFETY RISK REDUCTIONS

Microbial pathogens and pesticide residues in food pose a financial burden to society which can be reduced by incurring costs to reduce these food safety risks. We explore three valuation techniques that place a monetary value on food safety risk reductions, and we present a case study for each: a contingent valuation survey on pesticide residues, an experimental auction market for a chicken sandwich with reduced risk of Salmonella, and a cost-of-illness analysis for seven foodborne pathogens. Estimates from these techniques can be used in cost/benefit analyses for policies that reduce food safety risks.Contingent valuation, Cost of illness, Experimental auction market, Food safety, Risk reduction, Salmonella, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Economic Assessment of Food Safety Regulations: The New Approach to Meat and Poultry Inspection

USDA is now requiring all Federally inspected meat and poultry processing and slaughter plants to implement a new system called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) to reduce potentially harmful microbial pathogens in the food supply. This report finds that the benefits of the new regulations, which are the medical costs and productivity losses that are prevented when foodborne illnesses are averted, will likely exceed the costs, which include spending by firms on sanitation, temperature control, planning and training, and testing. Other, nonregulatory approaches can also improve food safety, such as providing market incentives for pathogen reduction, irradiation, and education and labeling to promote safe food handling and thorough cooking.food safety, foodborne illness, microbial pathogens, meat and poultry inspection, HACCP, cost of illness, consumer education, irradiation, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries,

Labeling Genetically Modified Foods: An Economic Appraisal

Both at home and abroad concerns about genetically modified foods have disrupted food markets and raised a number of problems for international trade. This paper addresses the issue of labeling foods produced using genetically modified ingredients from an economic perspective. The wide range of consumer attitudes with respect to food safety and genetically modified foods highlights the need for research into how consumer attitudes toward food are established. Consumer attitudes toward genetically modified foods span the distance from profound fear to unflinching acceptance - a divergence in attitudes that can not be explained by variations in preferences. The debate generated by genetically modified foods also focuses attention on how consumer attitudes influence agricultural and food markets. In the case of genetically modified foods, a seemingly small demand for non-genetically modified foods has triggered a number of market changes. For example, a number of food manufacturers have begun to market non-genetically modified food products, and a number of elevators and processors have begun to segregate genetically modified varieties of corn and soybeans from conventional varieties. We present a simple economic model showing how introduction of labeling for genetically modified foods can affect food markets, and the role that social preferences and attitudes in place at the time labeling is introduced can influence the outcome of labeling policies. We examine how consumer attitudes toward food are established and how consumer attitudes influence market structure. The implications of labeling for international trade in food products is also discussed

The Impact of Advocacy Organizations on Low-Income Housing Policy in U.S. Cities

Financial support for affordable housing competes with many other municipal priorities. This work seeks to explain the variation in support for affordable housing among U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 or more. Using multivariate statistical analysis, this research investigates political explanations for the level of city expenditures on housing and community with a particular interest in the influence of housing advocacy organizations (AOs). Data for the model were gathered from secondary sources, including the U.S. Census and the National Center for Charitable Statistics. Among other results, the analysis indicates that, on average, the political maturity of AOs has a statistically significant, positive effect on local housing and community development expenditures