Consumers’ attitudes and willingness to pay for safer milk in Malawi

This paper aims to contribute to the scarce literature on consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for safer foods in Sub-Saharan Africa( in general) and in particularly Malawi. The results, from face to face interviews carried out in Malawi with urban consumers, showed that the majority of consumers prefer to buy raw milk and boil it before consumption. Nonetheless, 38% consumers opted for the ultra-pasteurized milk that is safe to consume without boiling but is significantly more expensive. Consumers were found to be willing to pay a price premium for safe milk which was significantly higher than the retail price premium. The results also showed that consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for safer milk are not only determined by consumers’ socio-demographic characteristics but are also affected by consumers’ attitudes, consumption habits and purchase habits of milk and other dairy products. Therefore, taking into account consumers’ preferences and habits is crucial to boost the demand for safer milk in countries where the consumption of unsafe foods is still a major threat to the population life.