Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Collart, Alba J.

Committee Member

Canales, Elizabeth

Committee Member

Ahn, Sunjin

Date of Degree

8-6-2021

Original embargo terms

Complete embargo for 2 years

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agriculture

Degree Name

Master of Science

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Agricultural Economics

Department

Department of Agricultural Economics

Abstract

High-profile outbreaks in the U.S. have been increasingly linked to the consumption of leafy greens (Xue et al. 2007), making traceability an important issue (Corkery and Popper 2018). Consumers' increasing attention to traceability (Hansstein 2014) has led to the implementation of blockchain-based traceability systems. This study measures U.S. consumers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for blockchain-based traceability information in packages of romaine lettuce and spinach. We conduct two online Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) and surveys to understand consumer preferences for USDA-certified organic leafy greens, access to blockchain-based traceability information via QR codes, and the FDA's voluntary labeling guidelines involving growing region information. Our findings suggest that some U.S. consumers are willing to pay a premium for food products with blockchain-based traceability or standard traceability information delivered via QR-codes. Findings also reflect some consumers' interest in organic products, and in knowing the detailed growing region information, particularly if leafy greens are grown in Arizona.

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