ORIGINAL PAPER The Impact of Information on Consumer Preferences for Different Animal Food Production Methods Morten Raun Mørkbak & Jonas Nordström Received: 2 October 2008 / Accepted: 17 August 2009 / Published online: 16 September 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC. 2009 Abstract The motivation for the present study is to understand food choice in relation to animal food production and to study how preferences are influenced by information. To do this, we carried out a choice experiment. In the analysis, we focus on chickens reared indoors and outdoors and chicken labelled campylobacter-free versus non-labelled chicken. The results suggest that there is a positive willingness to pay (WTP) both for chicken reared outdoors and for campylobacter-free labelled chicken. Information about rearing methods resulted in a higher WTP for chicken reared outdoors, while information about campylobacter had both positive and negative effects on respondents’ WTP. The highest increase in WTP for campylobacter-free labelled chicken was found for one of the high risk groups, individuals with poor kitchen hygiene. Keywords Choice experiment . Food safety . Animal production . Willingness to pay . Mixed logit model Introduction Consumers, public decision makers, and experts have shown an increasing interest in animal food production. This interest first emerged in the 1960s (Harrison 1964) and has increased since. This can be seen as part of a general increase in interest in the quality of the food we eat. Uncertainty regarding food quality hinders consumers’ attempts to match food choices with preferences, and food quality issues have received intensive media coverage in recent years. This has led consumers and agri-food chain stakeholders to change their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour. There has also been a growing interest not only in the role and mechanisms of information but also in evaluating the various techniques and vehicles for disseminating information to consumers. For issues of public concern, governments may have an incentive to provide information to consumers, for example by financing J Consum Policy (2009) 32:313–331 DOI 10.1007/s10603-009-9106-9 M. R. Mørkbak : J. Nordström (*) Institute of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark e-mail: jno@life.ku.dk