Contingent valuation and willingness to pay for credence attributes in beef meat

The demand for beef has declined in recent years, so it is important to know the structure of consumers' preferences. The present research used the contingent valuation method (CVM) to determine consumers' preferences for the attributes of food safety, organic, price, fat content, freshness and color, to discover their potential niche market. Based on survey data from a random sample of 225 households in eight cities of the State of Puebla, correlation analysis and an econometric Probit model were performed to identify the explanatory variables of the Willingness to Pay (WTP) a price premium for the attributes safety and organic. The per capita consumption of beef meat was 19.4 kg/yr. The 80 % of consumers believe that meat they buy may be in some degree contaminated with substances or microorganisms that can cause damage to their health. The 76 and 66 % of consumers have a WTP a premium for the attributes safety and organic, respectively. The average WTP for these attributes is 13 and 12.1 %, respectively. The explanatory factors of the WTP are age, schooling, income, risk perception, and the attributes fat content, freshness and tenderness. The first four variables correlate with marginal effects greater than 20 %. The 14.4 % and 19.1 % of the population manifested a WTP greater than 21 % of the price they currently pay for meat if it has the attributes organic and safety, respectively.