Thesis, Undergraduate (B.S. Agribusiness Economics)--University of the Philippines, Mindanao

Nowadays, consumers are becoming more health-conscious. The demand for vegetables that are certified as safe is expected to increase in proportion to the increase in demand for products with certified as safe labels. In this paper, the researchers assessed the consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for certified safe vegetables in Cagayan de Oro. The researcher attempted to explore the factors that affect the willingness of households to pay for certified safe vegetables. The various factors that may possibly have a significant effect on the willingness to pay for certified safe vegetables were assessed. The factors considered were socio-demographic details, purchase patterns for the supermarket and wet market, attitudinal factors and food safety concerns. A household survey of 110 respondents, all coming from middle to high income brackets, was conducted. The study selected tomato, eggplant, sweet pepper, bitter gourd and eggplant. The results showed that even people with higher income perceive price as barrier in paying pay more for certified safe vegetables.The consumers with higher educational attainment have greater knowledge and awareness and are willing to pay a additional amount for certified safe vegetables. In general, the willingness to a pay for certified safe vegetables in Cagayan de Oro is not as significant as it is not yet introduced in the area. Meanwhile, this study is beneficial as this introduced and gave information regarding certified safe vegetables to the consumers. The researcher recommends that further research be done on safe vegetables and forums like general nutrition programs be conducted to increase the level of awareness regarding the benefits of having certified safe vegetables in the market.