文章基本信息

标题：Can Information Costs Affect Consumer Choice?—Nutritional Labels in a Supermarket Experiment—
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作者：Kiesel, Kristin ; Villas-Boas, Sofia Berto
期刊名称：Journal of Food Distribution Research
印刷版ISSN：0047-245X
出版年度：2010
卷号：SUPPL
出版社：Food Distribution Research Society
摘要：This paper investigates whether information costs under currently regulated nutritional labeling prevent consumers from making healthier food choices. We implement five nutritional shelf label treatments in a market-level experiment. These labels reduce information costs by highlighting and summarizing information available on the Nutritional Facts Panel. Following a difference-in-differences and synthetic control method approach, we analyze weekly store-level scanner data for microwave popcorn purchases from treatment and control stores. Our results suggest that consumer purchases are affected by information costs. Implemented low calorie and no trans fat labels increase sales. In contrast, implemented low fat labels decrease sales, suggesting that consumer response is also influenced by consumers’ taste perceptions. A combination of these claims into one label treatment increases information costs and does not affect sales significantly.
关键词：Nutritional labeling;information cost;scanner data;market-level experiment;difference-in-differences;synthetic control method