Consumers’ attitude towards hormone-free milk: what have we learned?

Abstract

Consumers’ negative attitude and perception about bST-treated milk has not changed much since its first introduction in 1994 in the USA. The objectives of this study are to measure consumers’ willing to pay for bST-free milk and to explore the factors influencing their willingness-to-pay. The empirical application uses consumers’ survey data from the state of Kansas and applied to a probit model for willingness-to-pay. The results show consumers prefer mandatory labeling for bST-treated milk and milk products, and are willing to pay a premium for bST-free milk.

Acknowledgement

I would also like to thank Juan Salas, graduate research assistant, for his superb and invaluable assistance in handling the survey and arranging the data for this research. The author is responsible for all remaining errors. The Faculty Research and Creativity Grants, Emporia State University funded this project.