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The Effects of Avian Influenza News on Consumer Purchasing Behavior: A Case Study of Italian Consumers' Retail Purchases

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  • Beach, Robert H.
  • Kuchler, Fred
  • Leibtag, Ephraim S.
  • Zhen, Chen

Abstract

To better understand how information about potential health hazards influences food demand, this case study examines consumers’ responses to newspaper articles on avian influenza, informally referred to as bird flu. The focus here is on the response to bird flu information in Italy as news about highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) unfolded in the period October 2004 through October 2006, beginning after reports of the first outbreaks in Southeast Asia and extending beyond the point at which outbreaks were reported in Western Europe. Estimated poultry demand, as influenced by the volume of newspaper reports on bird flu, reveals the magnitude and duration of newspaper articles’ impacts on consumers’ food choices. Larger numbers of bird flu news reports led to larger reductions in poultry purchases. Most impacts were of limited duration, and all began to diminish within 5 weeks.

Suggested Citation

  • Beach, Robert H. & Kuchler, Fred & Leibtag, Ephraim S. & Zhen, Chen, 2008. "The Effects of Avian Influenza News on Consumer Purchasing Behavior: A Case Study of Italian Consumers' Retail Purchases," Economic Research Report 56477, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersrr:56477
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.56477
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    1. Beach, Robert H. & Zhen, Chen, 2008. "Consumer Purchasing Behavior in Response to Media Coverage of Avian Influenza," 2008 Annual Meeting, February 2-6, 2008, Dallas, Texas 6750, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    2. Carlos Arnade & Linda Calvin & Fred Kuchler, 2009. "Consumer Response to a Food Safety Shock: The 2006 Food-Borne Illness Outbreak of E. coli O157: H7 Linked to Spinach," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 31(4), pages 734-750, December.
    3. Hsu, Jane Lu & Liu, Kang Ernest & Lee, Hwang-Jaw & Huang, Min-Hsin & Hung, Kelsey Jing-Ru, 2010. "The Influences Of Avian Influenza, Bse, And H1n1 Influenza On Attitudinal Changes In Meat Safety Issues," 115th Joint EAAE/AAEA Seminar, September 15-17, 2010, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany 116405, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
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    5. Uberta Ganucci Cancellieri & Giulia Amicone & Lavinia Cicero & Alessandro Milani & Oriana Mosca & Marialetizia Palomba & Simonetta Mattiucci & Marino Bonaiuto, 2023. "Can Food Safety Practices and Knowledge of Raw Fish Promote Perception of Infection Risk and Safe Consumption Behavior Intentions Related to the Zoonotic Parasite Anisakis ?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-16, April.
    6. Hassouneh, Islam & Radwan, Amr & Serra, Teresa & Gil, José M., 2012. "Food scare crises and developing countries: The impact of avian influenza on vertical price transmission in the Egyptian poultry sector," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 264-274.
    7. H. Holly Wang & Paul Gardner de Beville, 2017. "The media impact of animal disease on the US meat demand," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 493-504, September.
    8. Anikó Bíró & Ágnes Szabó-Morvai, 2021. "Mass media coverage and vaccination uptake: evidence from the demand for meningococcal vaccinations in Hungary," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 22(6), pages 887-903, August.
    9. Guerrero Santiago, 2012. "Who is Selling You Chiquilitros of Gasoline? Evidence From a Public Disclosure Policy," Working Papers 2012-04, Banco de México.

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