01/25/06 Consumers and elite apples

Washington Ag January 25, 2006 Consumers would pay up to 24 cents a pound more for Gala apples that meet specific criteria for eating quality. That's what a study concluded that was conducted by researchers at Washington State University's IMPACT Center and the Food Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon. The study correlated data on individual apples with sensory data collected from consumers and determined how much consumers would be willing to pay for Gala apples that meet specific standards for soluble solids and firmness. The researches says increasing standards to 13.5 percent for soluble solids and 14 pounds pressure for firmness could yield a premium of just over 24 cents a pound. The average consumer prices for apples at the time of the study was 99 cents a pound. The U.S. House Agriculture Committee has begun scheduling field hearings to review the 2002 Farm Bill which expires in 2007. Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte visited Washington state last year and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris told last week's Pacific Northwest Farm Forum, Goodlatte wants to come back and hold a field hearing here. McMorris: "We are going to be working over the next few months to make sure that we are communicating what is important in that Farm Bill and working with him to identify the right date and the right place to have that hearing." I'm Bob Hoff.