Consumer preference and willingness to pay for certified high-iron beans among urban households in West Pokot County, Kenya

Enhancing transparency in the food system through product certification assures consumers to make informed nutritional choices. A choice experiment was conducted to evaluate household decision makers’ preferences for certified high iron common beans. A stratified multistage sampling technique was adopted to select 384 respondents, and data was collected using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Mixed logit model results showed households had a positive preference for certification of high iron common beans by public bodies and mandatory labelling but a negative preference for highly processed high iron beans and the certification conducted by a private body. Age and education were identified as heterogeneous factors. Relative to the prices of uncertified Nyota high-iron beans, households were willing to pay premiums for public certification and mandatory labelling but required discounts for highly processed and high iron beans certified by a private body.