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Abstract
In examining consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for food attributes, one approach is to use
economic experiments, sometimes associated with consumers sensory testing. In this particular
research project different types of pork chops are examined to identify consumer WTP for pork
chop credence attributes such as traditionally raised, Canadian Pork labelled or identified as
coming from a farm with on farm food safety accreditation (CQA). However, the results of the
research are only useful for the national industry if the participants’ values can be extrapolated to
the Canadian population. The participants in the research completed a survey that was similar in
many respects to a national on-line survey completed in Canada two months earlier. Comparing
the responses from the pork study to the national on line survey can help identify how different
the respondents are. The pork study participants self studied to be part of a consumers panel
for the Alberta Food Product Testing Centre in Edmonton. Respondents in both groups have less
confidence in pork relative to other food products. Respondents in the pork survey were mostly
concerned about antibiotics in meat while national survey respondents were mostly concerned
about animals genetically modified for meat, egg or dairy production. In terms of human health
issues, pork survey respondents were mostly concerned about while national survey
respondents were more concerned about unhealthy eating. Respondents in the pork survey had
lower risk perception scores for pork and were more willing to accept the risks of eating pork
than the national panel assessed either beef or chicken.