Abstract
The current study focuses on identifying the factors responsible for building trust in organic foods. This study also attempted to establish the mediating role of food-related personality traits in building such trust. The quantitative data was collected from the Liaoning province of China through a structured questionnaire (n = 420). Established scales were adopted for measuring constructs. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that consumer trust towards retailers was found to be highly significant in creating trust of customers regarding organic food products, followed by information on the label. The trust of consumers towards food manufacturer was also found to be a significant predictor, while the perceived knowledge of customers about organic food products was found to be a weak contributor towards building trust. Furthermore, food-related personality traits were found to mediate the hypothesized model. This study extends the literature on trust in organic food consumption by intending to provide a detailed analysis of the factors that build trust in organic food consumption in China. The findings of this study will help producers, retailers, and marketers to identify the appropriate strategies to establish and improve the consumer trust in organic food.
Highlights
IntroductionOrganic food consumption accounts for only 1.01% of the overall food consumption in China, this percentage has grown almost three times since 2007, that is, 0.36% [2]
The organic food sector has experienced unprecedented growth all around the globe, and a recent research report from the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL-IFOAM confirms a consistent increase in the volume of the global organic food market [1]
Based on the above analysis, the objective of this study is to explore the antecedents of trust in organic food consumption in China
Summary
Organic food consumption accounts for only 1.01% of the overall food consumption in China, this percentage has grown almost three times since 2007, that is, 0.36% [2] This heightened boost in the consumption as well production of organic food and beverages has been attributed to intensifying safety concerns of consumers about food consumption. The Chinese organic food industry has witnessed accelerated growth because a number of food scandals have created severe safety concerns among consumers in China. These food scandals include sale of decayed meat, presence of sewage oil in food, unhygienic pork and beef, and several cases of adulteration and fraud. The Chinese government paid serious attention to these food-safety concerns and started different projects related to organic food, green food, non-harmful products and good agricultural practices (GAP) which ensures the handling and storage of food with minimal chances of microbial hazard
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