Willingness‐to‐Pay for Safe Vegetables: A Comparative Analysis Between Wet Market and Supermarket Shoppers in Urban Cambodia

ABSTRACT Consumers in low‐ and middle‐income countries are increasingly worried about food safety, but markets for safe produce remain underdeveloped and do not offer farmers a premium price. This study used the Becker–DeGroot–Marschak experimental auction design to identify the market for safe vegetables by assessing consumers' willingness to pay for both internationally and locally certified vegetables. The study involved 585 shoppers at wet markets and supermarkets in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The factors influencing willingness to pay were analysed using Pooled Ordinary Least Squares. Compared to uncertified vegetables, shoppers were willing to pay 100% more for those certified as United States Department of Agriculture Organic and 55% more for those certified under Cambodian Global Agricultural Practices. Providing information about both types of certification increased shoppers' willingness to pay for certified vegetables, with a greater increase for the international label than the local one. For the local label, information only increased willingness to pay among supermarket shoppers, not wet market shoppers. Our findings highlight the importance of age and income in shaping consumers' willingness to pay for safe produce. We offer recommendations to improve food purchasing choices in low‐income countries, emphasising the need for food safety information that is tailored to different populations.