Paying for convenience and higher micronutrients: Consumers’ willingness to pay for pre-cooked bean products in Malawi and Zambia

Food consumption habits in sub-Saharan Africa have been influenced by urbanization and globalization, leading to unhealthy diets. Legumes, such as beans, have been part of balanced diets, however, their long cooking time has discouraged consumption. Using an experimental auction, we assess consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for pre-cooked beans to address long cooking times. In Zambia, the auction included two products, dehydrated beans and ready-to-eat beans, while in Malawi, only dehydrated beans were considered. The auction had three bidding rounds. The first round replicates standard food purchasing decisions in stores. In the second round, participants were informed about product convenience (time and cost saving), and in the last round, about the benefits of consuming high-iron beans (of which the products were made). Our results show a high WTP for pre-cooked bean products in three locations: Zambia urban, Malawi urban, and rural. Most consumers had WTPs that were higher than the market price. Information provision increased the cumulative WTP by 27% for dehydrated beans and 22% for ready-to-eat beans in Zambia, and by 33.5% for dehydrated beans in Malawi. Our results imply that by extensively promoting the advantages of these products among both urban and rural consumers, processors can expand their market share and recoup their marketing expenses.