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Abstract
A quantity-dependent hedonic model is used to
study consumers’ actual purchases of cured ham, recorded
through scanner in Spain, between April 2003 and March
2004. A Zero Inflated Negative Binomial (ZIB) model is
applied because of the high proportion of zero purchase-values
and the finding of overdispersion in the data. Ham
characteristics are used as explanatory variables, such as
breed, origin, EU Quality Certification squemes (PDO, PGI,
STG), type of brand (producer’s and distributor’s), sale
format (whole leg, vacuum packaged, on request), ripening
period and price. Monthly dummies variables are also added
to capture a possible seasonal effect. The results show that the
distributor’s brand, the whole leg sale format, the origin
Teruel and its certification through a PDO are the main
attributes affecting cured ham purchases. The Quality
Certification has a significant effect when added to a locally
produced ham (PDO Teruel), while in general, it has a
negative impact. Vacuum packages and ripening period, have
a negative impact on the quantity purchased. The positive
impact of the attributes on cured ham purchases are
reinforced when attached with Iberian ham, especially in the
case of a distributor’s brand and a whole leg sale format. In
addition, the negative impact of the vacuum packages is
mitigated when the breed of the ham is Iberian.