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Abstract
In modern societies it seems that the pleasures of taste often encourage the consumption of fatty,
salty and sweet foods, whereas growing health awareness discourages consumption of the same
foods. Numerous studies find that education and diet healthiness are highly correlated and one
possible explanation is that consumers with a longer education are better at understanding and
appreciating the health implication of their diet than are consumers with a short education. In this
study we estimate a hedonic model of consumer’s valuation of food characteristics that allows
nutrients to influence utility both through their perceived effects on health and their effects on the
taste of food. The model is estimated using purchase data from a consumer panel with
comprehensive coverage of food purchases for 2500 Danish households. We find that it is
differences in taste valuations, rather than differences in valuation of health effects, that explains
the observed differences in dietary healthiness across consumers with different educational
backgrounds.