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Quality Signaling and International Trade in Food Products

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  • Jean-Christophe Bureau
  • Estelle Gozlan
  • Stéphan Marette

Abstract

Focusing on the issue of food safety, the authors consider a framework of repeated purchases under the scenario of imperfect information on product quality (adverse selection and experience goods). A firm in a northern country can more easily detect tainted products than can a southern one. When imports are banned, the northern firm does not always signal the actual quality of its products. Competition from imports may lead the northern firm to test the quality of its products as a way to differentiate itself from foreign competitors. Consumers benefit from the disclosure of information on quality, even though borders are open to products of uncertain quality. However, competition from imports also increases the cost of signaling high quality. This can be detrimental to the welfare of the importing country when the cost of detection is high.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University in its series Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications with number 01-wp283.

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Date of creation: Aug 2001
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Handle: RePEc:ias:cpaper:01-wp283

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Cited by:
  1. Bonroy, O. & Constantatos, C., 2013. "On the economics of labels : a review of the theoretical literature," Working Papers 2013-01, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
  2. Bodo E. Steiner, 2004. "Australian wines in the British wine market: A hedonic price analysis," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(3), pages 287-307.
  3. Zago, Angelo M. & Pick, Daniel H., 2004. "Labeling Policies in Food Markets: Private Incentives, Public Intervention, and Welfare Effects," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 29(01), April.
  4. Fontaine, Damien & Gaspart, Frederic & Frahan, Bruno Henry de, 2008. "Modelling the impact of private quality standards on the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chains in developing countries," 2008 International Congress, August 26-29, 2008, Ghent, Belgium 44378, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
  5. Banerjee, Nandini & Kennedy, P. Lynn, 2006. "Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures : A Game Theoretic Approach of Comparative Evaluation," 2006 Annual Meeting, February 5-8, 2006, Orlando, Florida 35375, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
  6. Steiner, Bodo E., 2002. "The Valuation Of Labelling Attributes In A Wine Market," 2002 Annual meeting, July 28-31, Long Beach, CA 19718, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).

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