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Abstract
Rising developing country demand for livestock products propelled by income and
population growth, and by urbanization offers poverty reduction opportunities to actors
in the supply chain. The increase in volumes demanded also features diversification and
increased demand for quality attributes. Reliable food safety and information on animal
husbandry and geographic origin have long been recognized as value-adding differentiation
mechanisms in the developed world. Anecdotal accounts suggest that this is also the case
in developing countries. However, little consistent rigorously researched evidence has
been published on this subject. This paper presents results based on case studies conducted
in a number of developing countries in Asia and Africa. An overview of the theoretically
consistent methods used and a synthesis of the results obtained in the various case studies are
presented first followed by the case studies each describing a study of specific commodities
in specific developing country locations. A consistent set of results emerges, wherein
consumers exhibit willingness to pay for quality and safety in animal-origin foods, and
within which this willingness to pay is strongest amongst the wealthy and the urban dwellers.
However, the intricacy and variety of quality definition and measurement are demonstrated
fully, as they occur between and within countries, commodity groups and other settings.
The key message from the results is the evidence that quality and safety considerations in
products of animal origin food provide commercial opportunities for developing country
producers, market actors and industry participants.