Louis-Georges Soler

Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption: a cost-effectiveness analysis of public policies.

BACKGROUND In many countries, consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) is below recommended levels. We quantify the economic and health effects of alternative policy (P) scenarios aiming to increase F&V consumption: (P1) 3.4% reduction in VAT, (P2) €100/year/person F&V stamp policy designed for low-income consumers (LIC) and (P3) €10 M information campaign. METHODS An economic model of the F&V market provides F&V consumption variations to a health impact model, leading to the number of deaths avoided (DA) and life-years saved (LYS). We compare the cost per statistical DA and LYS, taking into account the public costs of alternative policies. This analysis is applied to France in 2006. RESULTS Relative risks of death for one additional F&V portion are disease dependent (range: 0.84-0.99). The highest variations in F&V consumption levels (less than +10 g/day/person on average) and health effects (<+600 DA, <+10 000 LYS) are modest. The costs/LYS are smaller for information campaign (€3 k), followed by VAT reduction (€99 k) and food stamp policy (€403 k). However, the information campaign leads to less LYS than VAT reduction. The food stamp policy reduces health inequalities between LIC and others, whereas the other ones can increase them. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that (i) LYS are larger with VAT reduction than F&V stamps policies, (ii) information campaigns are the most cost-effective and (iii) market forces can limit the impacts of public health policies designed to favour F&V consumption increase.

Work organization simulation as a basis for farm management advice (equipment and manpower, levels against climatic variability)

Abstract The product and the farm costs in arable farming systems are dependent on the interannual climatic variability. In the present context of agricultural price stagnation, the increase of worker productivity is one of the first priorities in this kind of system. Previous studies revealed that in the arable farming systems studied, equipment and manpower levels are settled by the amount of autumn work. So the authors try to give prominence to available margins retarding climatic risks during this peak period. The method presented is based on a simulation of the running of autumn work. The simulator employs structural data such as a cropping plan, equipment and manpower combination, and a general organization model which includes decision rules. In fact, it appears as a work calendar which gives, under the same climatic conditions, the same cultivation operations and the same work dates as the farmers ones. The computerized setting has been achieved on a compatible microcomputer and written in C language. After validation from work dates truly observed on the farm, the simulation operated over fifteen different climatic years and so allows the analysis of the system in non-observable situations. An illustration of the models possibilities is given from an example.

Joint Private Safety Standards and Vertical Relationships in Food Retailing

In recent years, it has become common for downstream firms to impose Joint Private Standards (JPSs) on upstream producers. In this paper, we present an original model of a vertical relationship, explaining the incentives for and the effects of such JPSs with an example concerning food safety. The risk of a food crisis is endogenously determined. Using the concept of cartel stability (d’Aspremont et al., 1983), it is shown that liability rules are crucial for JPSs to emerge, that a JPS can become a minimum quality standard, and that a more stringent JPS does not necessarily reduce the market risk.

Nutritional quality and labelling of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals: the contribution of the French observatory of food quality.

Background/Objectives:To assess developments in the nutritional quality of food products in various food groups in France, an Observatory of Food Quality (Oqali) was created in 2008. To achieve its aims, Oqali built up a new database to describe each specific food item at the most detailed level, and also included economic parameters (market share and mean prices). The objective of this paper is to give a detailed analysis of the monitoring of the ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (RTEBCs) sector in order to show the benefits of the Oqali database.Subjects/Methods:Analysis was limited to products with nutritional information on labels. Packaging was provided by manufacturers or retailers, or obtained by buying products in regular stores. Economic parameters were obtained from surveys on French food consumption and data from consumer purchase panels. The breakfast cereal sector was divided into 10 categories and 5 types of brand. Oqali has developed anonymous indicators to describe product characteristics for each category of RTEBC and each type of brand by cross-referencing nutritional values with economic data. Packaging-related data were also analysed. The major nutritional parameters studied were energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, fibre and sodium. Analysis was performed on the basis of descriptive statistics, multivariate statistics and a Kruskal–Wallis test.Results:For the RTEBC, there is large variability in nutrient content throughout the sector, both within and between product categories. There is no systematic relation between brand type and nutritional quality within each product category, and the proportion of brand type within each product category is different. Nutritional labels, claims and pictograms are widespread on packages but vary according to the type of brand.Conclusions:These findings form the basis for monitoring developments in the nutritional composition and packaging-related data for breakfast cereals in the future. The final objective is to expand the approach illustrated here to all food sectors progressively.

Strategies for coexistence of GM and non-GM soy from import to feed processing

Regulations 1829/2003/CE and 1830/2003/CE have allowed the placing on the European market of GM products in food and feed chains, and have defined their rules of traceability and labeling. For some supply chains, like for soy and its derived products that are used in the production of feed, manufacturers have to face both non-GM and GM production, although there are no labeling requirements for animal products derived from animals fed with GMOs. This study presents the strategies of stakeholders involved in the feed production chain to maintain concurrent production of compound feed with GM and non-GM soy products, by dealing with the coexistence between those two crops. The stakeholders include importers, traders, soy processors, feed processors and retailers. The study shows that many tools are in place to ensure and maintain the current coexistence. However, a profound harmonization of procedures and methods at a European level should be encouraged.

Internet et la distribution de biens physiques. Analyse de l'émergence de nouvelles structures verticales dans le secteur du vin

A lot of B-to-B and B-to-C projects have been set up by new comers in the wine sector. They lead the traditional stakeholders, involved in physical retailing, to reshape their own distribution strategies. In the first part of this paper, we analyze several models of wine distribution and the stakes raised by the introduction of the Internet technology. In the second part of the paper, we propose a theoretical analysis of (1) the opening of direct distribution channels for the producers, (2) the opening of new supply sources through market places for the distributors. Classification JEL : D43, L22, L81, O33, Q13

Assessment of the Sustainability of the Mediterranean Diet Combined with Organic Food Consumption: An Individual Behaviour Approach

Mediterranean diets are promising sustainable food models and the organic food system may provide health and environmental benefits. Combining the two models could therefore be a favourable approach for food sustainability. The aim of this study was to draw up a comparative description of four diets differing in the level of organic foods consumption and the adherence to the Mediterranean diet, using multidisciplinary indicators to assess the sustainability of these diets. Four groups of participants were defined and compared, combining the proportion of organic food in their diet (Org versus Conv) and the adherence to the Mediterranean diet (Med versus NoMed). Conv–NoMed: Conventional consumers and non-Mediterranean diet followers; Conv–Med: Conventional consumers and Mediterranean diet followers; Org–NoMed: Organic consumers and non-Mediterranean diet followers; Org–Med: Organic consumers and Mediterranean diet followers. The adherence to nutritional recommendations was higher among the Org–Med and Conv–Med groups compared to the Conv–NoMed group (using the mPNNS-GS (modified-Programme National nutrition santé guidelines score/13.5 points): 9.29 (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 9.23–9.36) and 9.30 (95% CI = 9.24–9.35) versus 8.19 (95% CI = 8.17–8.22)) respectively. The mean plant/animal protein intake ratio was 1.38 (95% CI = 1.01–1.74) for the Org–Med group versus 0.44 (95% CI = 0.28–0.60) for the Conv–NoMed group. The average cost of the diet of Org–Med participants was the highest: 11.43 €/day (95% CI = 11.34–11.52). This study highlighted the importance of promoting the Mediterranean diet combined with organic food consumption for individual health and environmental aspects but challenges with regard to the cost remain.

Organic consumption and diet choice: An analysis based on food purchase data in France

• There is a strong variation in household consumption patterns along the gradient of the organic penetration rate.

Beyond Wishful Thinking: Integrating Consumer Preferences in the Assessment of Dietary Recommendations.

Convenience, taste, and prices are the main determinants of food choices. Complying with dietary recommendations therefore imposes a “taste cost” on consumers, potentially hindering adoption of those recommendations. The study presents and applies a new methodology, based on economic theory, to quantify this taste cost and assess the health and welfare effects of different dietary recommendations. Then, by comparison of those effects, we identify socially desirable recommendations that are most compatible with consumer preferences (i.e., that best balance health benefits against”taste cost”) and should be prioritized for promotion. The methodology proceeds in three-steps: first, an economic-behavioral model simulates how whole diets would change if consumers complied with dietary recommendations; second, an epidemiological model estimates the number of deaths avoided (DA) due to the dietary change; third, an efficiency analysis weighs the health benefits against the taste and policy costs of each recommendation. The empirical model is calibrated using French data. We find that recommendations to reduce consumption of red meat and soft-drinks, or raise consumption of milk products and fish/seafood impose relatively moderate taste costs. By comparison, recommendations related to F&V consumption and, to a lesser extent, butter/cream/cheese, snacks, and all meats impose larger taste costs on consumers. The F&V recommendation is the costliest for consumers to comply with, but it also reduces diet-related mortality the most, so that a large budget could be allocated to promoting F&V consumption while keeping this policy cost-beneficial. We conclude that promotion of most dietary recommendations improves social welfare. Our framework complements the programming models available in nutrition and public health: those models are best used to identify dietary targets, following which our framework identifies cost-beneficial ways of moving towards those targets.

Le Programme National Nutrition Santé (PNNS) et l'offre alimentaire

Resume Ce chapitre presente quelques exemples des actions conduites au plan national pour ameliorer l’offre alimentaire et favoriser une evolution vers une plus grande adequation aux recommandations nutritionnelles et alimentaires du PNNS. Ces actions concernent l’offre alimentaire originelle (allaitement) jusqu’a l’offre alimentaire proposee par les operateurs economiques (a travers les chartes d’engagements de progres nutritionnels) et certains aspects de sa regulation (messages sanitaires accompagnant les publicites), en passant par l’offre alimentaire en restauration collective publique, qui inclut notamment l’offre alimentaire a l’ecole. Les efforts deployes au cours du PNNS2 vers les populations defavorisees sont egalement presentes, illustrant les liens qui peuvent se creer avec d’autres programmes de sante publique, comme le programme Alimentation et insertion (presente ici) ou le programme Bien vieillir. Enfin, les Pouvoirs Publics ont recemment mis en place un outil unique et original pour permettre de suivre et quantifier ces evolutions, l’Observatoire de la qualite de l’alimentation, dont les methodes et les premiers resultats sont resumes, soulignant leur interet pour l’evaluation du PNNS.