Karen E. Lewis, Carola Grebitus and Rodolfo M. Nayga
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Abstract
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In the U.S., soft drink consumption has been considered
one culprit for the obesity epidemic. Improved product labeling is considered a
policy tool that can help consumers choose healthier products. This research
uses an auction to determine consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for soft
drinks labeled with sweetener and calorie information after consumers tasted
the soft drinks. Soft drink taste is the primary driver of consumers’ WTP for
soft drinks, while sweetener labeling also influences WTP. Calorie labeling has
little impact on WTP. Consumers’ least preferred soft drink label was
“sweetened with HFCS”; sugar was consumers’ most preferred sweetener
ingredient.
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