title: Evaluation of consumers' perception and willingness to pay for bacteriophage treated fresh produce.
abstract: Food-borne illnesses caused by bacteria such as enterohemorrhagicE. coliandSalmonellaspp. take a significant toll on American consumers' health; they also cost the United States an estimated $77.7 billion annually in health care and other losses.1One novel modality for improving the safety of foods is application of lytic bacteriophages directly onto foods, in order to reduce or eliminate their contamination with specific foodborne bacterial pathogens. The main objective of this study was to assess consumers' perception about foods treated with bacteriophages and examine their willingness to pay (WTP) an additional amount (10-30 cents/lb) for bacteriophage-treated fresh produce. The study utilized a survey questionnaire administered by telephone to consumers in 4 different states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The results show that consumers are in general willing to pay extra for bacteriophage-treated fresh produce if it improves their food safety. However, income, race, and the state where a consumer lives are significant determinants in their WTP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricbusiness; Applied Economics and Agriscience Education; A-29 CH Moore Agricultural Research Facility; North Carolina A&T State University ; Greensboro, NC USA.
authors.forename: Cephas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Naanwaab
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricbusiness; Applied Economics and Agriscience Education; A-29 CH Moore Agricultural Research Facility; North Carolina A&T State University ; Greensboro, NC USA.
authors.forename: Osei-Agyeman
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Yeboah
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricbusiness; Applied Economics and Agriscience Education; A-29 CH Moore Agricultural Research Facility; North Carolina A&T State University ; Greensboro, NC USA.
authors.forename: Foster
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ofori Kyei
authors.affiliation: Intralytix Inc ., Baltimore, MD USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sulakvelidze
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; Food and Nutritional Sciences; North Carolina A&T State University ; Greensboro, NC USA ; Current Address: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Qatar University , Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Ipek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goktepe
keywords: bacteriophage; food safety; fresh produce; logit model; willingness-to-pay