Publications
Publications
Ma, X., Gallardo, R. K., Canales, E., & Iorizzo, M. (2024). Quality‐related descriptors to increase fresh blueberries purchase—Evidence from a basket‐based choice experiment. Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
Abstract: This study addresses the need to boost fruit and vegetable consumption amidst rising diet-related health concerns. Blueberries, rich in phenolic phytochemicals, offer significant health benefits. Using a basket-based choice experiment (BBCE), the study identifies sensory descriptors that enhance blueberry purchasing likelihood. Packaging with a “Stay Fresh” label reduces price sensitivity compared to others. Additionally, blueberries are commonly purchased alongside other berries rather than as substitutes. Demographic factors such as gender, age, education, employment, fitness, ethnicity, region, nutritional value perception, and budget influence blueberry selection. These insights can aid growers, retailers, and marketers in increasing fresh blueberry demand.
Ma, X., Gallardo, R. K., Canales, E., Atucha, A., Zalapa, J., & Iorizzo, M. (2024). Effects of the added sugar labeling on consumers' willingness to pay: The case of cranberry products under different nutrition‐related information treatments. Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
Abstract: The Food and Drug Administration announced a rule update to the Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) requiring the declaration of added sugars on the NFP starting in 2020. This study measures the impact of these changes by estimating the willingness to pay for added sugars in cranberry products under different nutrition‐related information treatments. We found significant discounts for increases in added sugars that vary across information treatments and consumer subsamples. A positive information frame about the health benefits of cranberries was not found to consistently offset the impact of additional information on the recommended daily intake limits for added sugars.
Ma, X., Gallardo, R. K., Canales, E., Atucha, A., Zalapa, J., & Iorizzo, M. (2024). Would consumers accept CRISPR fruit crops if the benefit has health implications? An application to cranberry products. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 1-23.
Abstract: Cranberry products are perceived as healthy due to their high antioxidant content yet adding sugars to increase their palatability deters consumption. Plant breeding technologies such as gene editing, specifically the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR), offer a plausible alternative to develop cranberries with desired traits (e.g., lower acidity and increased sweetness). We estimated consumers’ willingness to pay for sugar content, CRISPR, and cranberry flavor intensity for two cranberry products under different health-related information treatments. Respondents stated a discount for regular sugar content favoring reduced sugar products, for CRISPR compared to conventional breeding, and for weak/bland compared to full/intense cranberry flavor. Compensated valuation analysis of products with different attribute levels indicates that consumers were willing to pay a premium for cranberry products with reduced sugar content, CRISPR-bred, and full/intense cranberry flavor relative to products with regular sugar content, conventionally bred, and weak/bland flavor. Information treatments highlighting cranberries’ health benefits and recommendations to limit sugar intake increased consumers’ discounts for regular sugar content, surpassing the discount for CRISPR. This research underscores the importance of the conditions under which breeding technologies might gain public acceptance. This information will benefit the scientific community and industry seeking to use CRISPR to develop improved cranberry cultivars.
Gallardo, R. K., Ma, X., Colonna, A., Montero, M. L., & Ross, C. (2023). Consumers’ Preferences for Novel and Traditional Pear Cultivars: Evidence from Sensory Evaluation and Willingness-to-pay Elicitation. HortScience, 58(12), 1474-1483.
Is Ignorance Bliss? Milk from Gene-Edited Cows and Animal Welfare Considerations. forthcoming
Working papers
Variation in Rates of ADHD Diagnoses Across Public Schools
The impact of universal school meals on quality of food at home
Work in progress
The Effect of School Meal Delivery Policies and Medical Diagnoses on Academic Achievement
Better predictions for severe obesity among an elementary school population: Implications from child nutrition
programs
The Impact of Introducing a New Apple Variety on Washington State’s Apple Shipments - Evidence from a Time Series Analysis
Using apple shipment data to analyze the impact of introducing a new apple variety on apple shipments.
Behavior-Based Price Discrimination and Advertising by Asymmetric Firms
Through information technology, businesses may now identify distinct customer segments, enabling them to apply price discrimination to each segment and establish individualized rates. This study applies a 2-period Hotelling model to analyze the best options of businesses if they can identify customers after the first-period advertising and selling, and charge different prices to the various groups of consumers prior to the second-period selling. In this paper, I will examine asymmetric advertising costs and asymmetric reservation prices, determine firms' advertising decisions and pricing strategies based on their advertising efficiency under asymmetric conditions, and determine whether behavior-based price discrimination and targeted advertising will benefit firms and consumers.
Presentations
Ma, X., R.K. Gallardo, E. Canales. “Consumer’s Willingness to Pay for Gene Editing Breeding: Application to Cranberry Products” Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA. August 2022.
Ma, X., R.K. Gallardo, E. Canales. “Trade-off between a novel breeding technology and the WTP for reduced sugars, exploratory analyses of two cranberry processed products, under different information treatments.” presented at Student Seminar Series, School of Economic Sciences, Washington State University, March 2022.