Risk, Uncertainty and Regulation: A Comparison between France and Germany in the Field of Food Safety and Nutrition
Final Report Abstract
This project was guided by the central questions of how consumers act when they face risks and how their reactions differ by nationality, being French or German. Consumers’ decisions were studied in a context of an emerging food technology, nanotechnology, with a high level of scientific uncertainty regarding its possible risks. The study was organised in two parts encompassing economic and sociological tools. The first part focused on the role of consumer information by means of economic laboratory experiments in France and in Germany. Following the idea that the way how people are able to access information influences their reaction to the information, this study investigated the impact of three different conditions of information provision on consumers’ acceptance of two nanotechnology food applications. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of three different kinds of information regarding the risks and benefits of nanotechnology in the food domain on consumers’ willingness to pay for these products: information on the implications on the environment, human health and society. This risk and benefit information was presented in a way to reflect the underlying scientific uncertainty. Based on a surplus estimation, the economic value of nanotechnology products introduction and/or additional information about the consequences of nanotechnologies was further determined. The second part studied the factors determining public perceptions of food nanotechnology by means of web surveys in France and in Germany. Regarding the factors determining people’s attitude we included cognitive and social/moral covariates. Results of both parts were evaluated with regard to possible consequences for food-risk regulation.
Publications
- "Impact of Environmental, Societal and Health Information on Consumers' Choices for Nanofood. Workshop “ Quality promotion through ecolabeling : theoretical and empirical advances on the feasibility of developing social and environmental claims ” June 22-23 2009 in Nancy, France
Marette S., Roosen J., Bieberstein A., Blanchemanche S., and F. Vandermoere
- (2009) “Impact of Environmental, Societal and Health Information on Consumers' Choices for Nanofood.” Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization: Vol. 7: Iss. 2, Article 11
Marette, S., Roosen, J., Bieberstein, A., Blanchemanche, S. and F. Vandermoere
- (2009). Consumer Choices of NanoFood – A Hypothetical Experiment in France and Germany. Presentation at the Joint NEC-63, Canadian Consumer and Market Demand Research Network Meeting in Banff, Canada, September 27-29, 2009
Roosen, J., A. Bieberstein, S. Blanchemanche, S. Marette and F. Vandermore
- (2010). “The public understanding of nanotechnology in the food domain: The hidden role of views on science, technology, and nature.” Public Understanding of Science
Vandermoere, F., Blanchemanche, S., Bieberstein, A., Marette, S., and J. Roosen
- Consumer Willingness to Pay for Nanotechnology Applications in the Context of Food: Evidence from France and Germany. Presentation at the annual meeting of the American Agricultural Economics Association, July 26-28, 2009 in Milwaukee, WI
Roosen J., Marette S., Bieberstein A., Blanchemanche S. and F. Vandermoere
- “Food-risk perception and gender –What are the driving forces behind the gender gap?” Paper prepared for presentation at the 2009 EAAE PhD Workshop, September 10-11, 2009 in Giessen, Germany
Bieberstein A., Vandermoere F., Roosen J., Blanchemanche S. and S. Marette
- “Impacts of Information and Information Choice on Consumer Willingness-to-Pay for Nanotechnologies in Food.” Paper prepared for presentation at the “CARR Graduate Colloquium 2009“ at the London School of Economics and Political Science, September 18, 2009 in London
Bieberstein A., Roosen J., Marette S., Blanchemanche S. and F. Vandermoere
- “Perceptions of nanoscience in the food domain: The role of knowledge and views on nature.” Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, San Francisco, August 2009
Vandermoere, F., Blanchemanche, S., Bieberstein, A., Marette, S., and J. Roosen
- “Risk, uncertainty, and regulation. NanoFoods in Germany and France.” Presentation at the meeting for French-German programmes in social sciences (ANR-DFG), October 12-14, 2009, Como, Italy
Blanchemanche, S., Bieberstein A., Roosen J., Marette S. and F. Vandermoere
- (2010) “The morality of attitudes toward nanotechnology: About God, techno?scientific progress, and interfering with nature.” Journal of Nanoparticle Research
Vandermoere, F., Blanchemanche, S., Bieberstein, A., Marette, S., and J. Roosen
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-009-9809-5)
