Organic Premiums of U.S. Fresh Produce

The study uses the 2005 Nielsen Homescan panel data to estimate price premiums and discounts associated with product attributes, market factors, and consumer characteristics, focusing on the organic attribute for 5 major fresh fruits and 5 major fresh vegetables in the United States. The results suggest that the organic attribute commands a significant price premium, which varies greatly from 13 cents per pound for bananas to 86 cents per pound for strawberries among fresh fruits and from 13 cents per pound for onions to 50 cents per pound for peppers among fresh vegetables. In terms of percentages, the estimated organic price premiums vary from 20% above prices paid for conventional grapes to 42% for strawberries among fresh fruits and from 15% above prices paid for conventional carrots and tomatoes to 60% for potatoes. Furthermore, prices paid for fresh produce are found to vary by other product attributes, market factors, and household characteristics.fresh fruits and vegetables, hedonic price, organic produce, organic premium, product attributes, Nielsen Homescan, Agricultural Finance,

The Effects of a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax: Consumption, Calorie Intake, Obesity, and Tax Burden by Income

Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages has been proposed as a means to reduce calorie intake, improve diet and health, and generate revenue that governments can use to address the obesity-caused health and economic burden. Two beverage demand systems were estimated using beverage purchase data for high-income and low-income households. Using the estimated demand elasticities we examined the impacts of a hypothetical 20-percent effective tax rate (or about 0.5 cent per ounce) on beverage consumption, calorie intake, tax revenue and burden. Our results suggest that such a tax would induce an average reduction of 35 and 41 calories a day among adults and children, respectively. The tax burden is found to be regressive, although representing less than one percent of household spending on food and beverages. Tax revenue is estimated to be $5.8 billion using 2007 population estimates.beverage demand, sugar-sweetened beverage tax, soda tax, obesity, tax revenue, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy, C34, D12, Q18,

Effects of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage and Subsidizing Milk: Beverage Consumption, Nutrition, and Obesity among US Children

Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been proposed as a means to improve U.S. diet and health and generate revenue to address obesity-related issues. A related concern is that children’s intake of SSBs, a third that of milk consumption in the late 1970s, now equals milk consumption. Displacing milk by SSBs may shortchange the buildup of bone mass, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis in later life. Accordingly, we examine the effects that a 20- percent SSB tax and a 20-percent milk price subsidy would have on the diet and health of American children. We estimated US beverage demand systems and used the estimated demand elasticities to examine the impacts of the hypothetical SSB tax and milk subsidy. Our results suggest that a 20-percent tax-induced increase in soda price alone would reduce calorie intakes by 40 calories a day among children, lowering the obesity rate from 16.1 percent to 13.4 percent and the overweight rate from 32 percent to 26.9 percent. When a 20-percent price subsidy for milk is bundled with the SSB tax, children would on average decrease their calorie intake (21 calories a day) and increase their calcium intake, but the overweight and obesity rates would actually increase by around 2 percent. The seemingly contradiction between the two averages, lower calories and higher obesity, is due to the fact that the majority of children (90 percent) remain unchanged in their weight classification under the price interventions but on average reduce their calorie intake. Six percent of children increase their calorie intake and gain enough weight to cross the overweight threshold, whereas four percent of children decrease their calorie intake to improve from being overweight to healthy weight. Therefore, when averaging the effects of the price interventions, we found a decrease in calorie intake and higher overweight and obesity rates.Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), soda tax, milk subsidy, beverage demand, and obesity, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy, C30, D12, Q18,

How Much are Consumers Paying for Organic Baby Food?

Using retail purchase data, price premiums and discounts associated with household demographics, market factors, and product attributes (focusing on the organic attribute for strained baby food) are estimated using a hedonic pricing model. Results suggest that the organic premium ranges from about 12 to 49 percent in 2004 and from 30 to 52 percent in 2006. Tests for significant changes relative to product attributes show that while the price of conventional baby food has stayed relatively the same, the premium for organic baby food has increased.organic baby food, hedonic price, market factors, product attributes, Nielsen Homescan, organic premium, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis,

Does Price or Income Affect Organic Choice? Analysis of U.S. Fresh Produce Users

This study analyzes consumer purchasing behavior of organic fresh fruits and vegetables using the 2006 Nielsen Homescan panel. An ordered logit model was estimated to quantify the impacts of economic and socio-demographic factors on the probability of a household belonging to a specific organic user group—devoted, casual, or nonuser. Results suggest that price and income, to some extent, affect consumer purchases of organic produce. Additionally, the profile of an organic produce user is most likely to consist of an Hispanic household residing in the Western United States with children under 6 years old and a household head older than 54 years with at least a college degree.Nielsen Homescan data, ordered logit, organic fruits and vegetables, user groups, Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, C25, D12, M31, Q11,

Taxing Caloric Sweetened Beverages: Potential Effects on Beverage Consumption, Calorie Intake, and Obesity

The link between high U.S. obesity rates and the overconsumption of added sugars, largely from sodas and fruit drinks, has prompted public calls for a tax on caloric sweetened beverages. Faced with such a tax, consumers may reduce consumption of these sweetened beverages and substitute nontaxed beverages, such as bottled water, juice, and milk. This study estimated that a tax-induced 20-percent price increase on caloric sweetened beverages could cause an average reduction of 37 calories per day, or 3.8 pounds of body weight over a year, for adults and an average of 43 calories per day, or 4.5 pounds over a year, for children. Given these reductions in calorie consumption, results show an estimated decline in adult overweight prevalence (66.9 to 62.4 percent) and obesity prevalence (33.4 to 30.4 percent), as well as the child at-risk-for-overweight prevalence (32.3 to 27.0 percent) and the overweight prevalence (16.6 to 13.7 percent). Actual impacts would depend on many factors, including how the tax is reflected in consumer prices and the competitive strategies of beverage manufacturers and food retailers.Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), soft drinks, soda tax, added sugars, obesity, and beverage demand, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy,

Cloning, sequencing, and characterization of the hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine degradation gene cluster from Rhodococcus rhodochrous

Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) is a high explosive which presents an environmental hazard as a major land and groundwater contaminant. Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain 11Y was isolated from explosive contaminated land and is capable of degrading RDX when provided as the sole source of nitrogen for growth. Products of RDX degradation in resting-cell incubations were analyzed and found to include nitrite, formaldehyde, and formate. No ammonium was excreted into the medium, and no dead-end metabolites were observed. The gene responsible for the degradation of RDX in strain 11Y is a constitutively expressed cytochrome P450-like gene, xpLA, which is found in a gene cluster with an adrenodoxin reductase homologue, xplB. The cytochrome P450 also has a flavodoxin domain at the N terminus. This study is the first to present a gene which has been identified as being responsible for RDX biodegradation. The mechanism of action of XplA on RDX is thought to involve initial denitration followed by spontaneous ring cleavage and mineralization

Dramatic Plays as a Tool to Educate Young African-American Females about HIV/AIDS

Rates of HIV/AIDS transmission have increased substantially, particularly among young African American women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HIV/AIDS is the number one killer for African American women aged 25 to 34. Given that many of these young women are contracting the disease in their late teens and early twenties, there is a need to develop interventions that directly address the needs of this group. The current study sought to assess the effectiveness of theater in increasing knowledge of HIV/AIDS and the likelihood of healthier sexual behavior and choices among 219 young African American women 18 to 39 years of age. Paired sample t-tests revealed that there were significant mean differences in knowledge and intended safe sex behavior after viewing the play. Young women who viewed the play reported increased knowledge of HIV and reported a higher likelihood of engaging in safer sex. Given the high rates of HIV/AIDS among young African American women, more innovative educational and prevention techniques are needed

The Effects of Benefit Timing and Income Fungibility on Food Purchasing Decisions among SNAP Households

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest nutritional safety net in the United States. Prior research has found that participants have higher consumption shortly after receiving their benefits, followed by lower consumption towards the end of the benefit month. This “SNAP benefit cycle” has been found to have negative effects on beneficiaries. We examine two behavioral responses of SNAP participants that may work in tandem to drive much of the cycle: short-run impatience – a higher preference to consume today; and fungibility of income – the degree of substitutability between a SNAP dollar and a cash dollar. Using data from the National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS), we find evidence of both behavioral responses. The degree of short-run impatience and fungibility of income is found to differ significantly across poverty levels and use of grocery lists to plan food purchases. Food purchase planning education could be used to counter the observed benefit cycle. Deeper analysis of the purchase data suggests that the benefit cycle is primarily associated with a decrease in the purchase of healthful and perishable foods—which could lead to lower dietary quality. We also find evidence that suggests households compensate for the effects of the SNAP benefit cycle by acquiring free food, primarily from schools. This highlights the importance of programs like the National School Lunch Program for SNAP households

Territorial Tactics: The Socio-spatial Significance of Private Policing Strategies in Cape Town

This paper analyses the policing strategies of private security companies operating in urban space. An existing literature has considered the variety of ways that territory becomes of fundamental importance in the work of public police forces. However, this paper examines territory in the context of private security companies. Drawing on empirical research in Cape Town, it examines how demarcated territories become key subjects in private policing. Private security companies are responsible for a relatively small section of the city, while in contrast the public police ultimately have to see city space as a whole. Hence, private policing strategy becomes one of displacement, especially of so-called undesirables yielding a patchworked public space associated with private enclaves of consumption. The conclusions signal the historical resonances and comparative implications of these political-legal-security dynamics. © 2013 Urban Studies Journal Limited