Measuring the social effects of the origin labeling of beef in the Korean food service sector

In Korea, origin labeling is one of the main issues in the food service sector. Many restaurants presented the incorrect or no origin of the food material, and Korean consumers have kept complaining about it. Even though the origin labeling program was welcomed by consumers, the food service sector has claimed that there is an increasing cost due to the origin labeling program. It is an important issue to determine whether the origin labeling program is good for the social welfare; however, the specific effects of the origin labeling program have rarely been measured. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of origin labeling of beef in the Korean food service sector. Through survey and model analyses, a few findings are presented. First, Korean consumers showed a positive willingness-to-pay for the origin labeling of beef. Especially, consumers without information on the origin of the beef showed a larger willingness-to-pay for the origin labeling. Second, the origin labeling of beef changed the price and quantity of beef, and this change became larger when the consumers had no information on the origin of the beef. The change in the marketing margin due to the origin labeling program also affected the changes in the price and quantity of the beef. Third, the origin labeling of beef increased the social welfare, which is the sum of the consumer surplus and producer surplus. And this increase of the social welfare became larger when the consumers had no information about the origin.