Urban consumer trust in safe vegetables in Vietnam: The role of brand trust and the impact of consumer worry about vegetable safety

Abstract

Consumer trust in food safety based on system trust and brand trust has been studied thoroughly in developed countries, while such research is very few in developing nations. This study examines the role of system trust and brand trust in forming consumer trust in the safety of “safe vegetables”, which is the official term used by the Vietnamese government to indicate vegetables certified as safe, in Vietnam. Besides, the impact of consumer worry about vegetable safety – a major problem in Vietnam – on the trust in the safety of safe vegetables is also evaluated. Based on a sample of 361 randomly chosen consumers from the urban districts of Hanoi, we deployed structural equation modeling to explore the factors associated with consumer trust in the safety of safe vegetables. Our main results show that brand trust plays the most vital role in building consumer trust in safe vegetables. In addition to the direct effect, brand trust also acts as a mediator between system trust and trust in the safety of safe vegetables. Interestingly, consumer worry about vegetable safety has two opposite effects on trust in safe vegetables: a direct negative impact and an indirect positive impact through brand trust. Based on the results, we propose important recommendations for improving consumer trust in safely branded food products in general, and safe vegetables in particular in Vietnam.