Inclusiveness of consumer access to food safety: Evidence from certified rice in Vietnam

Food safety of staple crops such as rice is of global concern and has recently risen to the top of the policy agenda in Vietnam. Policy makers have introduced food safety certification, but little is known about the inclusiveness of consumer access to certified safe food. To address this evidence gap, we survey rice purchase behavior of urban Vietnamese consumers. We find that income largely conditions psychological determinants of certified rice purchase. Compared with the upper-middle income class, low-income consumers are 16% less likely to afford certified rice, which reveals Vietnam's challenge to render food safety inclusive for staple crops such as rice. We conclude by proposing policy guidelines for fostering inclusiveness of food safety as a basic consumer right.