Abstract
Although numerous studies have examined consumer preference for organic foods, few have focused on consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for organic labels from dissimilar countries or certifiers. We conducted a choice experiment to examine how Chinese consumer ethnocentrism and trust on organic labels and certifiers may affect their WTP for organic labels from different countries as well as for different certifiers. Chinese consumers did not show a high level of ethnocentrism, and this may lead to inconsistencies in their WTP for organic labels. Significantly, consumer preferences for certifiers did not change remarkably with the increase in consumer ethnocentrism. Chinese consumers generally preferred organic labels from developed countries (or US-invested organic certifiers). With increases in the trust in labels, consumer WTP for each type of organic label increased in general, but the difference between WTPs for organic labels from different countries decreased. Similar results were observed in consumer WTP for certifiers. Determining distinct preferences for organic labels from various sources and countries can be a valuable reference for manufacturers or international certification service providers to choose target markets and for governments to establish their certification systems.
Highlights
Food safety concerns are a global issue, especially in developing countries
Do Chinese consumers prefer organic labels from certain countries? Second, do these preferences interact with certifiers issuing the labels or are they affected by consumer ethnocentrism? ird, if consumers have more trust in organic labels from certain countries or certifiers, how does their trust affects consumer willingness to pay (WTP)? ese questions are the primary focus points of this paper
Chinese Consumer Ethnocentrism and Trust Scores. e mean Chinese consumer ethnocentrism (ETH) score was 3.9417, with a standard deviation of 1.0341. is result is consistent with the conclusions of Raskovicet al. and Liu et al, who noted that Chinese consumers generally do not show high ethnocentrism2930
Summary
Food safety concerns are a global issue, especially in developing countries. Due to profound economic reforms and changes throughout the country, food risks and food safety incidents have become prevalent in China [1]. China has become an important component of the emerging global organic food market (CNCA news, http:// food.cnca.cn/cnca/spncp/sy/index.shtml, accessed January 15, 2015).) Organic food sold in Mainland China can be branded with organic labels from China or countries such as Journal of Food Quality the US, Japan, and Argentina These organic labels can be issued by different certifiers, e.g., the China Organic Food Certification Center under the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture or the foreign-funded CERES (Shanghai) Certification Co., Ltd. the relatively immature Chinese organic food market continues to experience problems, such as deficiency of supervision, unclear certificate issuers, lack of manufacturer selfdiscipline, and unfair competition [6]. Do Chinese consumers prefer organic labels from certain countries? Second, do these preferences interact with certifiers issuing the labels or are they affected by consumer ethnocentrism? ird, if consumers have more trust in organic labels from certain countries or certifiers, how does their trust affects consumer willingness to pay (WTP)? ese questions are the primary focus points of this paper
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
