Welfare estimates of food safety and quality policy changes in Southern Ghana

The present paper has examined the welfare implications of safety and quality policy changes among beef consumers in Southern Ghana. The empirical results revealed profound heterogeneity in preferences for food safety and quality attributes at individual and segment levels. Four distinct consumer segments were revealed using a latent class model. We show that besides traditional socioeconomic factors; trust, competence and confidence in actors along food safety chain significantly impact on preferences for different food safety and quality policy attributes. Compensating surplus estimates reveal that welfare improvement arising from food safety and quality policy changes varies from one class to another. The findings show evidence of imperative segmental equity issues in food safety and quality policies. The welfare estimates indicate that evaluating willingness to pay values alone is not enough. The paper suggests that future research and policy decisions on food safety and quality changes take into account the segment of consumers whose welfare can potentially be improved or reduced due to the policy changes. Insights from this study are expected to assist policymakers in developing countries, especially in Africa to understand the welfare implications and effective food safety and quality measures Acknowledgement