2018 1 TRENDS AND APPLICATIONS DAVID P. CARTER AND ADRIENNE CACHELIN The Consumer Costs of Food Certifcation: A Pilot Study and Research Opportunities Certifcation labels have become a ubiquitous feature on food products across grocery store shelves. Although it is widely acknowledged that certifed products often garner higher prices than their noncertifed competition, less is known regarding what those price differences are based on, and what the personal, political, or ethical implications are for consumers. This research note argues for greater attention to the implications of certifed food prices—which we conceptualize as the “consumer costs” of food certifcation. The paper discusses the theoretical linkages between food certifcations and prices, and outlines the resulting consumer costs of which we are concerned. Through a pilot study in Salt Lake City, Utah, we investigate prices found on certifed grocery store rice, and consider the causes and implications of the consumer costs of food certifcation. Certifcation labels are a ubiquitous feature on food products across gro- cery stores. Such labels represent a variety of claims regarding how prod- ucts are made or the ingredients in them. Examples include foods grown with minimal chemical substances that feature an organic certifcation seal, foods produced according to socially conscious standards with a fair-trade certifcation logo, and foods processed in facilities without allergen con- tamination with a certifed gluten-free (or similar) label. In the ideal certifcation solves an information asymmetry. Because consumers cannot readily discern the processes and ingredients used to produce food, evaluating the veracity of food suppliers’ marketing claims is diffcult. For consumers, certifcation acts as a signal—indicating that a product or its processes have met verifed standards (Grunert and David P. Carter (david.carter@mpa.utah.edu) is an Assistant Professor of public policy at the Department of Political Science, University of Utah, and Adrienne Cachelin (adrienne. cachelin@health.utah.edu) is an Associate Professor of Envrionmental and Sustainability Studies, University of Utah. Our appreciation goes to Environmental and Sustainability Studies students Natalie Fillerup and Hannah Stevens, and Environmental and Sustainability Studies graduate Peter Jensen, for their assistance with data collection. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/joca.12196 Copyright 2018 by The American Council on Consumer Interests