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A Comparative Analysis of Consumer Attitudes Towards Food Safety, Animal Testing and Traceability in the Meat Industry: Japan and Canada
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- Author / Creator
- Aubeeluck, Ashwina D
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In this research consumers’ attitudes towards general food safety and their perceptions of the safety of beef in Japan and Canada are examined. Risk perceptions, the willingness to pay for beef traceability from farm to final consumer and the willingness to pay for animal testing for bovine spongifrom encephalopothy (BSE) are measured through a stated preference exercise, provided as part of national surveys in each country. Japanese respondents continue to have higher risk attitudes and perceptions about beef than Canadian respondents in 2009 as compared to 2006. In each country survey respondents strongly prefer domestic beef over imports from any other country. However, interest in beef from other countries increases as full traceability, or one hundred % animal testing for BSE or both attributes are incorporated into the markets. The willingness to pay increases at a diminishing rate, from either traceability or BSE animal testing to both attributes. In latent class models the Japanese data suggest that there are three distinct classes of survey respondents, where class 1 respondents are characterized as being more trusting and willing to pay for beef from different countries, class 2 respondents strongly prefer domestic beef and their willingness to pay for imported beef does not increase with traceability or animal testing and class 3 respondents would only be willing to pay for traceable and a combination of traceable and animal tested domestic beef. Similarly, Canadian survey respondents can be segregated into two classes. Class 1 consumers are more trusting and will be willing to pay for both domestic and imported beef. Class 2 consumers are more cautious.
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2010
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Science
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.