台灣實施產地國標示之經濟效益──以估計牡蠣及茶葉願付價格為例

Economic Benefits of Enforcing the COOL Law in Taiwan-The Case of Estimating Willingness to Pay for Oyster and Oolong Tea

本研究之主要目的在於探討實施產地國標示後，國人是否會對台灣生產的產品（以牡蠣與茶葉為例）產生正向之價格溢酬；此外，文中亦探討不同性別或高、低風險認知族群於牡蠣與茶葉標示產地國後，是否會產生購買行為上的差異。利用1,028筆電話訪問資料所進行的分析發現無論是使用封閉式或開放式條件評估法，實證結果顯示：國人願意支付台灣額外的價格溢酬，以避免買到中國大陸牡蠣與中國大陸及越南生產的茶葉。另外，我們亦發現女性比男性更顧慮食品安全上的問題，對於國產牡蠣與茶葉，願意付較高的價格溢酬。再者，將全部樣本以風險認知程度劃分，風險認知較高的族群亦會傾向付給國產牡蠣與茶葉相對較高的價格溢酬，以避免買到具安全疑慮的進口產品。由此可知，政府應該積極推動並落實食品產地國標示，以確保消費者的權益；不僅如此，食品產地國標示若能有效推展，亦可提升台灣農、漁民之競爭力。

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate whether, under the country-of-origin labeling (COOL), Taiwanese consumers would prefer the domestically produced oyster and oolong tea than smuggled oyster from China or imported tea from China and Vietnam. Furthermore, we also attempt to analyze the differences in purchasing behavior between different genders and risk perceptions. Data source is based on a telephone survey sponsored by the Council of Agriculture in 2008; the targeted population included food shoppers aged over 20 and have indoor phones. Using a stratified systematic sampling method, a total sample of 1,028 interviews was collected. This survey was based on the contingent valuation method (CVM), and we used both close-ended and open-ended questions to elicit the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for foods produced in Taiwan vs. other countries of origin. Based on the close-ended question, we use the binary and multinomial logit models to estimate the price premiums for Taiwan oyster and oolong tea when all products were clearly with COOL. Furthermore, we also apply Tobit model to estimate the WTP from the open-ended questions. The econometric results show that people in Taiwan would pay considerable price premiums to avoid buying the smuggled oyster from China and oolong tea imported from China and Vietnam. The study also finds that females are more conscious of food safety problems than males because females are more willing to pay a higher price premium on domestic oyster and oolong tea. Besides, we also find that people in Taiwan who care more about food safety risk are willing to pay higher price premiums for domestic oyster and oolong tea in order to avoid buying these likely unsafe products from other countries. The study concludes that Taiwan government should vigorously enforce the COOL law because it would not only enhance the competitiveness of our agriculture but also could protect the right of consumers in Taiwan.