Helen H. Jensen

The economic implications of using HACCP as a food safety regulatory standard

This article discusses the nature and role of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) as a food safety control system and, in particular, its role as an element of public food safety regulation. The notion of efficiency in food safety regulation is discussed and related to the nature of food safety controls. It is suggested that, if appropriately applied, HACCP is a more economically efficient approach to food safety regulation than command and control (CAC) interventions. The economic implications of HACCP are discussed with reference to estimates of the costs and benefits, in particular for the food industry. Finally, the use of HACCP as an international trade standard and the facilitation of trade in processed food products is considered.

Reliability and Validity of Nutrition Knowledge and Diet-Health Awareness Tests Developed from the 1989–1991 Diet and Health Knowledge Surveys

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop tests for measuring nutrition knowledge and diet-health awareness using items appearing in the 1989—1991 Diet and Health Knowledge Surveys. The development and evaluation of these tests relied upon estimates of their reliability and their discriminant, convergent, correspondence, and representative validity. The reliability estimates for the 23-item nutrition knowledge test were less than 0.70 for all three surveys.The reliability estimates for the 27-item diet-health awareness test were greater than 0.70 for all three surveys. Both tests received support for discriminant and convergent validity.The correspondence validity of both tests with three measures of dietary quality was low. Implications are made for further research on tests of nutrition knowledge and knowledge structures and for the relationships of these constructs to dietary behavior.

HACCP as a Regulatory Innovation to Improve Food Safety in the Meat Industry

The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) was developed to improve the efficiency of food safety regulations for the quality control of meat products. HACCP regulations is a set of codified principles that was developed by industrial engineers for the prevention of pathogenic microbial food-borne contamination in food products. The HACCP enhances the safety and control procedures of the meat inspection system by improving sanitation, food production and manufacturing standards.

Rice consumption in the United States: recent evidence from food consumption surveys.

BACKGROUND Little is known about rice consumption, related food intake patterns, and the nutritional contribution that rice provides in the diets of Americans. OBJECTIVE To provide information about rice consumption in the United States and the diets of rice consumers. DESIGN Data come from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (1994-1996) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2002). Respondents report 24-hour recall dietary intakes. The amount of rice available in foods is estimated using the Food Commodity Intake Database. Consumers are classified based on the amount of rice they consume in foods. SUBJECTS The analysis includes information from adult individuals: 9,318 from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and 4,744 from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. STATISTICS Weighted percentages and mean values show the food and nutrient intake amounts. Logistic regression analysis is used to examine relationships among economic, social, and demographic factors that affect rice consumption. RESULTS Rice is consumed by a significant portion of the US adult population. Compared with others who did not consume rice, rice consumers consumed a smaller share of energy per day from fat and saturated fat; more iron and potassium; and more dietary fiber, meat, vegetables, and grains. Race/ethnicity and education are determinants of the probability of consuming rice, and more so than low-income status. CONCLUSIONS Rice consumers choose a diet that includes more vegetables, a smaller share of energy from fat and saturated fat, more dietary fiber and more iron than those who do not consume rice; the differences have remained relatively stable over the last decade. Accounting for race/ethnicity and income levels is important for better understanding of factors that affect food choices and for effective design of dietary interventions.

Associations of Food Stamp Participation With Dietary Quality and Obesity in Children

OBJECTIVE: To determine if obesity and dietary quality in low-income children differed by participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program. METHODS: The study population included 5193 children aged 4 to 19 with household incomes ≤130% of the federal poverty level from the 1999–2008 NHANES. Diet was measured by using 24-hour recalls. RESULTS: Among low-income US children, 28% resided in households currently receiving SNAP benefits. After adjusting for sociodemographic differences, SNAP participation was not associated with a higher rate of childhood obesity (odds ratio = 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71–1.74). Both SNAP participants and low-income nonparticipants were below national recommendations for whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, and potassium, while exceeding recommended limits for processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, saturated fat, and sodium. Zero percent of low-income children met at least 7 of 10 dietary recommendations. After multivariate adjustment, compared with nonparticipants, SNAP participants consumed 43% more sugar-sweetened beverages (95% CI: 8%–89%), 47% more high-fat dairy (95% CI: 7%, 101%), and 44% more processed meats (95% CI: 9%–91%), but 19% fewer nuts, seeds, and legumes (95% CI: –35% to 0%). In part due to these differences, intakes of calcium, iron, and folate were significantly higher among SNAP participants. Significant differences by SNAP participation were not evident in total energy, macronutrients, Healthy Eating Index 2005 scores, or Alternate Healthy Eating Index scores. CONCLUSIONS: The diets of low-income children are far from meeting national dietary recommendations. Policy changes should be considered to restructure SNAP to improve children’s health.

Costs of Improving Food Safety in the Meat Sector

Recently enacted food safety regulations require processors to meet product standards for microbial contamination in meat products. An analysis of the cost-effectiveness of several technological interventions for microbial control in beef and pork processing shows that marginal improvements in food safety can be obtained, but at increasing costs. The additional food safety intervention costs represent about 1% of total processing costs for beef and pork. Some interventions and combinations are more cost-effective than others.

Food and Consumer Economics

Agricultural economists first carried out demand studies in order to understand determinants of farm prices and incomes. The shift to a focus on consumer welfare began with studies of the role of food and food assistance in standards of living. Now the profession is more concerned with how information and quality attributes influence consumer behavior. Agricultural economists’ empirical work in this field has informed the development of household production theory, hedonic price theory, definitions of poverty thresholds, complete demand systems, and survey and experimental techniques to elicit preferences.

Systemic failure in the provision of safe food

Abstract Many deficiencies in the capacity of a food system to deliver safe products are systemic in nature. We suggest a taxonomy of four general ways in which a systemic failure might occur. One relates to the connectedness, or topology, of the system. Another arises from mistrust on the part of downstream parties concerning signals on product attributes, production processes, and the performance of regulatory mechanisms. A third arises when asymmetric information leads to low incentives for preserving food quality. Finally, inflexibilities in adapting to different states of nature may leave the system vulnerable to failures. Innovations in information technology and institutional design may ameliorate many problems, while appropriate trade, industrial organization, science, and public infrastructure policies may also fortify the system.

Cognitive dissonance as a means of reducing hypothetical bias

Hypothetical bias is a persistent problem in stated preference studies. We propose and test a method for reducing hypothetical bias based on the cognitive dissonance literature in social psychology. A central element of this literature is that people prefer not to take inconsistent stands and will change their attitudes and behaviour to make them consistent. We find that participants in a stated preference willingness-to-pay study, when told that a nonhypothetical study of similar goods would follow, state significantly lower willingness to pay (WTP) than participants not so informed. In other words, participants adjust their stated WTP to avoid cognitive dissonance, that is, taking inconsistent stands on their WTP for the good being offered. Oxford University Press and Foundation for the European Review of Agricultural Economics 2010; all rights reserved. For permissions, please email journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.

Demand for food commodities by income groups in Indonesia

An analysis of the structure of demand was performed on household data, classified into income groups for urban Indonesia. A demographically augmented linearized almost ideal demand system was used to estimate the structural parameters of the demand equations. Endogenous switching regression techniques yielded unbiased and consistent demand parameter estimates for the low-income group, which had a large number of zeros for some food groups. Standard seemingly unrelated equation techniques were used to estimate the demand parameters for the other income groups. The results showed demands for the medium to high- and high-income households to be responsive to prices, income and demographic variables. Demands for the medium to low-income households were responsive to income and prices only. Demands for low-income households were responsive to income and prices of rice and fish only.