On July 10, 2025, the United Nations Environment Programme – International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP) successfully hosted the 16th CEL Seminar. Professor Holly Wang, Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, and a Fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), and the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Food Policy, delivered a presentation titled "Consumer Preferences for Cell-Cultivated Salmon: An Application of Clock-Proxy Auction using Real Products". The seminar was moderated by UNEP-IEMP Director Linxiu Zhang. Over 20 faculty members and students from UNEP-IEMP and the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR) participated in this seminar.
The presentation focuses on consumer’s willingness to pay (WTP) for cell-cultivated meat using salmon as an example. Professor Wang pointed out that excessive consumption of animal protein leads to issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and animal welfare concerns, driving the development of cell-cultivated meat technology. However, it faces challenges of high production costs and low market acceptance. By reviewing existing literature on consumer WTP using auction methods, Professor Wang summarized the innovation and contribution of using the Clock-Proxy auction method to evaluate consumer WTP for real cell-cultivated salmon products in this study. In the experimental design phase, Professor Wang showed the design details of the two stages of the Clock-Proxy auction, sample selection, cell-cultivated meat information interventions, and data collection methods. Preliminary research results showed that the cell-cultivated meat information interventions significantly increase consumer WTP for cell-cultivated salmon (such as a $15-20 increase in WTP for upscale dishes), but the WTP derived from auctions based on real products is lower than that derived from auctions based on hypothetical products, indicating a "hypothetical bias" in existing studies. In addition, the information interventions have a greater impact on the WTP for the combinations of multiple products. These results highlight the value of auction experiments based on real products in policy-making.
During the discussion session, the attendances engaged in lively exchanges with Professor Wang from multidisciplinary perspectives (e.g. economics, food science, and consumer behavior). The topics included the robustness test, sample representativeness, limitations of the auction mechanism application, and the policy implications of the findings.
As a critical area for sustainable transformation of food system, cell-cultivated meat is a significant topic for reducing carbon emissions and improving animal welfare. This successfully held seminar enhances the knowledge regarding advanced food technologies and consumer preferences, while also sharing insights from the collaboration between academic research and the food industry.
