Consumer acceptance studies

1. Consumer acceptance studies Ekin Birol, Manager, Impact and Policy

2. H+ Impact and Policy Portfolio IMPACT MAXIMISE MEASURE • Consumer acceptance • Varietal adoption • Value chain/seed systems • Farmer field day evaluation • Ex ante impact assessment • Effectiveness • Farmer feedback • Impact assessment • Adoption • Consumption • Nutrition POLICY • Linking quality and health • Portfolio analysis

3. Aims • Primary aims • To understand consumers’ • Sensory evaluation (taste, aroma, texture..) • Economic valuation (willingness to pay) ……… of biofortified varieties • Secondary aims • To estimate the impact of • information (on/off, media) • branding (local/international) • delivery mechanisms (local/international) ……. on consumer acceptance

4. Methods • Sensory evaluation • Food sciences literature • Detailed organoleptic tests with expert panels • Simple organoleptic tests with consumers • Economic valuation • Preference elicitation literature • Revealed preference methods (real money, real product) • Real choice experiments • Experimental auctions • Stated preference methods (hypothetical purchase) • Stated choice experiments

5. Zambia - orange maize • Main maize areas: Central and southern provinces • Impact of information and the media used • Consumers split into 3 treatments 1) no information 2) information from radio 3) information from community leaders

6. Zambia - orange maize • Each group tasted the nshima made from orange, yellow and white maize • For groups 2 and 3 after getting information they answered questions on • Sensory evaluation • Willingness to pay for each type of maize

7. Zambia - orange maize • Findings • Sensory evaluation: orange liked as much as white; yellow inferior to both • Consumer WTP higher prices for orange maize even in the absence of information • Impact of information source (radio or community leader) on acceptance is similar • Mass media can play a significant role in communication nutrition messages and improving demand for orange maize

8. India – high iron pearl millet • Main pearl millet areas in Maharashtra • Impact of information and branding/certification • Consumers split into 3 treatments 1) no information 2) information and national brand 3) information and international brand

9. India – high iron pearl millet Local brand & certification vs. International brand & certification

10. India – high iron pearl millet • Even in the absence of information, consumers prefer high iron variety • With information consumer are wiling to pay higher prices for high iron variety • H+ branding is preferable to Marathi branding • Infomercial and the information it contained was understood well by the consumers.

11. Studies to date