title: Hedonic analysis of the price of UHT-treated milk in Italy.
abstract: The Italian market for UHT milk has been growing thanks to both consumers' interest in products with an extended shelf life and to the lower prices of these products compared with refrigerated, pasteurized milk. However, because the lower prices of UHT milk can hinder producers' margins, manufacturers have introduced new versions of UHT milk products such as lactose-free options, vitamin-enriched products, and milk for infants, with the goal of differentiating their products, escaping the price competition, and gaining higher margins. In this paper, we estimated the contribution of different attributes to UHT milk prices in Italy by using a database of Italian UHT milk sales and a hedonic price model. In our analysis, we considered 2 UHT milk market segments: products for infants and those for the general population. We found premiums varied with the milk's attributes as well as between the segments analyzed: n-3 fatty acids, organic, and added calcium were the most valuable product features in the general population segment, whereas in the infant segment fiber, glass packaging, and the targeting of newborns delivered the highest premiums. Finally, we present recommendations for UHT milk manufacturers.
authors.affiliation: Business Economics Group, School of Social Sciences, Wageningen University, 6706 KN Wageningen, the Netherlands; Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, degli Alimenti e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Foggia, Via Napoli 25, Foggia 71122, Italia. Electronic address: francesco.bimbo@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bimbo
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80524; Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education, The Pennsylvania State University, State College 16801.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonanno
authors.affiliation: Business Economics Group, School of Social Sciences, Wageningen University, 6706 KN Wageningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, degli Alimenti e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Foggia, Via Napoli 25, Foggia 71122, Italia.
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Viscecchia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy; D008892:Milk / Q000191:economics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D019064:Product Packaging; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Italy; hedonic price model; ultra-high-temperature-treated milk