Food Studies Commons^™

Consumer Reactions To E. Coli And Antibiotic Residue Recalls: Utility Maximization Vs. Regret Minimization, Elliott James Dennis, Kayode Ajewole, Jason S. Bergtold, Ted C. Schroeder

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Food safety remains a major issue to many consumers. Previous studies examining the economic impact of food safety recalls have focused on Class I recalls. Antibiotic residue in meat products, a Class II recall, has increased in consumer importance yet little is known about how much research and development expenditure should be allocated to reduce antibiotic residue pre- and post-harvest. This study compares demand elasticities and the decrease in willingness to pay in response to either an E. coli (Class I) or antibiotic residue (Class II) recall. We compare and contrast two competing behavioral frameworks, Random Utility and Regret Minimizing. …