Trust In Food Research Articles

Consumer trust in organic food and organic certifications in four European countries

As the European organic market accelerates its growth, consumers are increasingly looking for produce that can be trusted, sustainably produced and environmentally friendly. Over the last decade, organic research has shifted to faster growing markets in Asia, despite fraudulent organic food still being an issue in Europe. This study addresses this gap by investigating the differences in consumers trust in organic meat and vegetables across 4 European Countries (Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK). In this study an online cross-sectional survey utilising validated tools was designed and data collected from 2071 respondents, approximately representative in terms of gender, age and region per country. Results identified between country differences in trust and beliefs in the ‘organicness’ of the produce. Overall, consumers had a high levels of trust in certified organic food chain and produce, and strong beliefs in the benefits of certification bodies; however this differed between countries. Italy and Poland respondents reported higher overall trust and preferred EU certification; whilst the UK and Germany reported lower trust and preferred their national certification bodies. Similarly, there were interesting differences between the products and national preferences. The findings highlight opportunities especially in Germany and the UK, for private industry, national and world-level bodies to improve the sustainability and growth of the organic food market.

Consumer Trust in Food and the Food System: A Critical Review.

Increased focus towards food safety and quality is reshaping food purchasing decisions around the world. Although some food attributes are visible, many of the attributes that consumers seek and are willing to pay a price premium for are not. Consequently, consumers rely on trusted cues and information to help them verify the food quality and credence attributes they seek. In this study, we synthesise the findings from previous research to generate a framework illustrating the key trust influencing factors that are beyond visual and brand-related cues. Our framework identifies that consumer trust in food and the food system is established through the assurances related to individual food products and the actors of the food system. Specifically, product assurance builds consumer trust through food packaging labels communicating food attribute claims, certifications, country or region of origin, and food traceability information. In addition, producers, processors, and retailers provide consumers with food safety and quality assurances, while government agencies, third-party institutions, advocacy groups, and the mass media may modify how labelling information and food operators are perceived by consumers. We hope our framework will guide future research efforts to test these trust factors in various consumer and market settings.

Food neophobia and intervention of university students in China.

BackgroundFood neophobia was defined as the unwillingness or avoidance to eat new foods. There are many studies on food neophobia in children, but few in university students. This study was to examine the level of food neophobia of Chinese university students. The aim is to find a way to help them relieve food neophobia.MethodsA total of 2,366 university students (16–22 years old) from Xinyang normal university were recruited to conduct a questionnaire survey on food neophobia scale (FNS) of Chinese version, which contained 10 questions. Significant difference analysis and principal component analysis were conducted.ResultsFor Chinese university students, willingness to try new food, trust in new food, eating disorder, and food pickiness were the characteristic indexes to evaluate the food neophobia. Gender had no significant effect, but long‐term nutrition courses had a great impact on food neophobia of university students.ConclusionsThe level of food neophobia of Chinese university students is relatively high. To formulate and implement a continuous diet and nutrition education plan is good and necessary to relieve the food neophobia.Implications for PracticeThese data complement the limited literature on food neophobia of university students, which will help to develop intervention plans to reduce eating disorders and support the need for further research to reveal the potential mechanism.

Drivers of Organic Food Purchase Intention in a Developing Country: The Mediating Role of Trust

The study’s objective is to explore the predictors of organic food purchase intention in a nascent organic market in one of the developing countries in South Asia. Further, the study also attempts to establish the mediating role of trust in organic food purchase intention. The quantitative data is collected from two cities of Pakistan through a structured questionnaire. A total of 325 responses are collected, out of which 312 responses are considered for further analysis. Structural equation modeling technique is used to test the hypothesis. “Personal attributes” is found to be a more significant predictor of organic food purchase intention than other attributes. Trust in organic food partially mediate personal attributes and product attributes with organic food purchase intention. The study contributes to understanding the primary attributes responsible for the purchase of organic food in a nascent organic market and establishes trust. This study also provides guidelines for the policymakers to shift their focus to organic farming, which will bring considerable benefits to health and the environment and a profitable business because consumer’s intentions coincide.

Why Do Consumers Intend to Purchase Natural Food? Integrating Theory of Planned Behavior, Value-Belief-Norm Theory, and Trust.

Natural labels are increasingly present in the market and appreciated by consumers, despite formal regulation still missing. Knowing the psychosocial factors that may predict natural food choice may be useful to understand what drives consumers to choose this category of food. We analyzed the antecedents of consumers’ intention to purchase natural food, testing a theoretical model that integrates the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory, and consumers’ trust in natural food. A sample of Italian participants (N = 1018) filled an online questionnaire assessing intention to buy natural food, TPB and VBN variables, and trust in the natural food supply chain. The model applied yielded results which confirmed the predictiveness of the tested integrated model. Attitude and perceived behavioral control were the strongest antecedents of intention, followed by trust and personal norm. Consumers’ intention to buy natural food was also associated with their evaluation of the consequences and possibilities related to the purchase behavior, as well as with their moral evaluation attributable to pro-environmental determinants.

The trust paradox in food labelling: An exploration of consumers’ perceptions of certified vegetables

Trust is a key consideration when purchasing and consuming foods. Food certification is an aspect of food labelling, and is used by policymakers and marketers to increase consumers’ trust in food. Equally important, consumers’ trust in the food system and actors in its supply chain influences their overall perceptions of food safety, and which foods they choose and consume. However, the interaction between consumers’ trust in food chain actors, and consumers’ trust in food certification, has yet to be explored. This study addresses this gap by examining consumers’ perception of food certification, two examples of which are organic, and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and consumers’ trust in food chain actors. In doing so, we extend the literature on trust in food labelling through the inclusion of social-institutional factors in order to understand variations in trust in food. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews and the study employed the social theory of trust as a theoretical framework to guide the analysis. Results show that organic, and GAP food certifications are perceived as a representation of the entire food system. Therefore, its trustworthiness is dependent on consumer perceptions of the food system’s capacity to guarantee organic standards along the entire food chain, which is a manifestation of abstract trust. This study contributes to the trust in food literature by showing that interpersonal trust in food actors, such as retailers or growers, can compensate for a lack of abstract trust in certification. Interpersonal trust is predominantly used to guide consumers’ food choices, particularly in the case where abstract trust in the wider institutional system’s integrity and competence is low.

Fake eggs: from counter-qualification to popular certification in China’s food safety crisis

Food safety dominates public discourse about health, life, and the body in China today. But incidents of ‘fake food’—including fake eggs and milk powder—raise new questions about how bodily threats are detected and evaluated, and have undermined trust not only in food, but also in official food regulations and tests. In response, new alternative food movements (including organic farms) are seeking to rebuild trust that food is real, not fake—but refuse to rely on official regulations. Drawing on theoretical literature on counterfeit goods and market devices, this paper examines how alternative food producers in Beijing, China qualify their food as authentic in a context where food fraud is expected. Whereas scholars have previously highlighted the role of interpersonal trust in alternative food markets, I argue that alternative farmers rely more on ‘popular certification’ devices—such as farm visits and taste tests—to materially certify the qualities of their food products. These tests differ from official certification because—rooted in sensory experience rather than instrumental tests—they are knowledge-making devices that are accessible to consumers. Linking agrarian change with the problems of knowledge explored by STS scholars, fake food points toward a renewed political economy of qualities.

Assessing differences in levels of food trust between European countries

IntroductionAs the globalisation of the food market continues, consumer trust in the food supply chain and the related actors are vital for the functioning of the food industry. While past research has primarily focused on consumer trust within countries and how it can be increased, studies on cross country differences and the comparison between trust and distrust are limited to review articles. To address this gap, this study investigates the levels of trust and distrust in food products and organisations across four European countries (Finland, Germany, Greece and the UK). MethodsUsing a previously validated consumer Trust Toolkit (Benson et al., 2020), an online cross-sectional survey explored consumer's trust in food and in food supply chain actors. In addition to this toolkit measuring trust and distrust constructs, the questionnaire for the current study also included relevant sociodemographic, household, and psychological items. The data was analysed using ANOVAs, descriptive statistics and regressions using SPSS v26. ResultsOverall, consumers (n = 1027) had a high level of trust in an EU food product (beef burgers; mean = 3.981; SD = 1.353) and the organisations involved in creating and certifying the product (organisations; mean = 4.263 SD = 1.129, food chain; mean = 4.434, SD = 1.177). The data found that Finnish and UK consumers had the highest levels of trust overall, while German and Greek consumers had lower trust in their food and food-related organisations. Interestingly, Finnish consumers reported the highest levels of distrust in food-related organisations, which indicates that food-related distrust is more nuanced than simply being the opposite of food-related trust. These findings are discussed in relation to the cultural context of each country and risk practises. ConclusionsThe levels of food trust and distrust differs across countries highlighting the need for developing different business and organisational strategies to market products in different countries/cultures. Understanding consumers’ trust in food and in food-related organisations is the first step in benchmarking and improving consumer trust across Europe.

Consumer buying behaviour and purchase intention of organic food: a conceptual framework

PurposeThe paper aims to investigate existing research in factors impacting organic food purchase with special reference to eco-labels and identify the relative influence of various determinants.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework is proposed of organic food buying behaviour after analysing a sample of 154,072 consumers reported in 91 research studies from 2001–2020. The factors are categorised into four categories on the basis of relatedness. In addition, the factors were analysed based on time, region and national economic status.FindingsThe impact of consumer psychographics, socio-demographic and product-related factor categories were found to be more pronounced compared to supply-related factor category. The results show that among individual factors like health concern, environment concern, knowledge and awareness, eco-labels and price followed by trust in organic food are the most important factors in organic food purchase. The findings suggest that eco-labels increase trust in organic food by reducing information asymmetry in consumers. However, there were differences in perception and factors importance between high-income economies and emerging economies.Originality/valueThe study is unique, as it analyses secondary research based on criteria of high-income economies and emerging economies. The conceptual framework can also be incorporated further into different cognitive models like the theory of planned behaviour.

Effects of industry-level factors, brand credibility and brand reputation on brand trust in safe food: evidence from the safe vegetable sector in Vietnam

PurposeWhile the essential role of brand trust toward consumer decision to purchase food products has been well addressed, there has been still little research on its influential factors. The primary purpose of this study was to explore factors affecting consumer trust in brands of safe vegetables.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling technique was applied to test the hypothetical relationships based on a sample of 361 consumers from a face-to-face interview in the urban areas of Hanoi city, Vietnam, in March and April 2018.FindingsThe authors' findings show that both brand credibility and brand reputation positively affected brand trust. The trustworthiness of a safe vegetable system had a more important role than the competence in building brand trust. While the effects of system trustworthiness on brand trust were found directly and indirectly (through brand credibility), system competence only had an indirect influence on brand trust via brand reputation. Notably, while risk recall directly reduced brand trust, risk information caused a directly positive effect on brand trust. In addition, the impact of food hazards on brand trust was indirect through brand credibility.Practical implicationsBased on our results, the Vietnamese government and stakeholders in the safe vegetable chain should improve brand trust based on fulfilling comprehensive traceability, expanding the brand reputation and providing an appropriate risk communication strategy to the public.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first attempts to model and evaluate factors affecting brand trust in the food sector directly and indirectly.

Covert administration of medication in food: a worthwhile moral gamble?

The covert administration of medication occurs with incapacitated patients without their knowledge, involving some form of deliberate deception in disguising or hiding the medication. Covert medication in food is a...

The development and validation of a toolkit to measure consumer trust in food

Consumer trust is an important aspect in the functioning of any market but particularly the food and drinks sector. Food safety incidents and changes in food production practices have simultaneously led to a decrease in consumer trust and a need for greater trust. Previous research has developed items to measure consumer trust in food, however, these have not always been subject to validity and reliability testing and there exists no collated toolkit or collection of items to measure trust in various aspects of the food system. Therefore, the current set of studies aimed to develop a valid and reliable consumer trust toolkit which can be used to measure trust in specific aspects of the food system. Study 1 consisted of a literature review of previous consumer trust measures to construct an initial toolkit of items, followed by an exploratory factor analysis (n = 481) to identify the structure of the toolkit. Study 2 (n = 1,027) used confirmatory factor analysis to verify the factor structure of the model from study 1 with six different factors (types of trust): Organisation trust, product trust, interpersonal trust, trust in the food chain, organisation distrust, and general distrust. Study 2 also established the validity of the toolkit (face validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity). Study 3 resampled a collection of individuals from study 2 (n = 247) to establish composite reliability and temporal stability (test-retest reliability). The resultant consumer trust toolkit provides a valid and reliable collection of items which can be used in future research to measure consumer trust in selected aspects of the food system.

Trust and distrust in relation to food risks in Spain: An approach to the socio-cultural representations of pregnant and breastfeeding women through the technique of free listing

In this paper, we explore the socio-cultural representations of trust and distrust in relation to food risks among pregnant and breastfeeding women. We have conducted a study based on an analysis of cultural domains in order to understand how mothers incorporate different social meanings and explore the most important categories they use when talking about trust/distrust in relation to food. We use the technique of free listings to analyse the main shared items or elements regarding trust and distrust in food among these mothers. Through an analysis of cultural domains that refers to concepts and themes related to trust and distrust of foods that are important to these women, and through the study of shared knowledge about these domains, we examine their socio-cultural representations related to health and diet of the 65 free listings on trust and the 64 on distrust collected from mothers. The pregnant and breastfeeding women who participated in the free listings cite foods they trust or distrust based on the specific properties they perceive them to have or other characteristics related to their origin, their handling, processing and distribution. Additionally, trust/distrust often depends on the qualities they attribute to the product. This paper shows aspects of the socio-cultural representations of food risks in periods in the life cycle of women -pregnancy and breastfeeding-characterized by a risk discourse where the precautionary principle is frequently used to manage uncertainty. These results might help the development of public health campaigns as well as adapting the messages of the health authorities to the general population.

Cross-country comparison of strategies for building consumer trust in food.

Consumer trust in the modern food system is essential given its complexity. Contexts vary across countries with regard to food incidents, regulation and systems. It is therefore of interest to compare how key actors in different countries might approach (re)building consumer trust in the food system; and particularly relevant to understanding how food systems in different regions might learn from one another. The purpose of this paper is to explore differences between strategies for (re)building trust in food systems, as identified in two separate empirical studies, one conducted in Australia, New Zealand and the UK (Study 1) and another on the Island of Ireland (Study 2). Interviews were conducted with media, food industry and food regulatory actors across the two studies (n = 105 Study 1; n = 50 Study 2). Data were coded into strategy statements, strategies describing actions to (re)build consumer trust. Strategy statements were compared between Studies 1 and 2 and similarities and differences were noted. The strategy statements identified in Study 1 to (re)build consumer trust in the food system were shown to be applicable in Study 2, however, there were notable differences in the contextual factors that shaped the means by which strategies were implemented. As such, the transfer of such approaches across regions is not an appropriate means to addressing breaches in consumer trust. Notwithstanding, our data suggest that there is still capacity to learn between countries when considering strategies for (re)building trust in the food system but caution must be exercised in the transfer of approaches.

Trust in food in the modern period

This text introduces the articles prepared for this special issue with the general theme of trust in food. It briefly explores the reasons why people worry about their food, and then surveys the historical literature. This introduction proposes a five-stage model of a process of ‘trust–distrust–trust,” which could be applied almost anywhere and at almost any time. A brief presentation of the articles concludes this introduction.

Public Expressions of Trust and Distrust in Governmental Dietary Advice in Sweden.

We examine public trust and distrust in governmental food and nutrition authorities, through analyzing 727 letters sent electronically to the Swedish National Food Agency by lay people. Using thematic analysis, four themes were developed, defining public expressions of trust and distrust in official dietary advice. Trust was expressed as (a) seeking to confirm and clarify dietary advice or (b) seeking official arbitration between competing dietary advice. Distrust was expressed as (c) questioning and scrutinizing dietary advice or (d) protesting and resisting dietary advice. Notably, expressions of distrust employed discursive practices that both mirrored authoritative discourses and subverted official advice, by appealing to scientific language and "alternative" evidence. All letters positioned the agency as the ultimate authority on healthy eating; notwithstanding whether the agency's advice was to be followed or resisted. Thus, the letters revealed how the same authoritative discourses can simultaneously be a site of public trust and distrust.

Integrity of Food Supply Chain: Going beyond Food Safety and Food Quality

As consumers' trust and confidence in food have been shaken by food incidents that could be intentional (crime) or unintentional (negligence). This paper examines the issue of food integrity in a holistic approach that goes beyond food safety and food quality. The concept of farm-to-fork from supply chain management being adopted to review the extant literature concerning integrity of food supply chain. From the extensive literature review, food safety system such as HACCP is argued to be insufficient in assuring food integrity because it does not prevent deliberate contamination, while traceability and technology are recognised as important communication linkages that provide transparency and evidence on food integrity across the supply chain. This paper has developed the house of food integrity framework to provide novel insights on the food supply chain by illustrating food integrity as a multi-dimensional concept, which incorporates food defence in addition to food safety and food quality.

Consumer concern about food safety in Hanoi,Vietnam

A growing demand for safe and high quality food in Vietnam has been driven by not only the rise in living standard but also consumer worry about food safety. This paper analyses consumer concern about food safety and its determinants, taking into account spatial disparities. Using the mixed method which combines data from our consumer survey and group discussions in Hanoi, we found that consumers experienced a high level of anxiety about food safety. In their eyes, pesticide residues, food preservatives, and hormone in livestock were top three risky hazards. As a result, vegetables, fruits, and meat were considered to be most unsafe. The concern about food safety was shaped by the fear of food hazards, risk perception of protein food, risk perception of vegetables and fruits, food risk information acquisition, and region. Region was the most important determinant of food safety concern, suggesting that spatial disparities exist. With a limited capacity to self-supply food and weaker social and kinship networks, urban consumers perceived a lower level of control over food safety. Their level of worry about food safety, therefore, was higher than their rural counterparts. Hence, urban farming is important, as it will help reduce urban consumers’ distress about food safety. To eliminate consumer fear in both rural and urban regions, better risk communication aiming at educating consumers about food hazards is required. Trust in food can be restored by better control of hazards and the safety of common food products.

Antecedents of Trust in Organic Foods: The Mediating Role of Food Related Personality Traits

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.

Food fraud and the perceived integrity of European food imports into China.

Background/AimsPersistent incidents of food fraud in China have resulted in low levels of consumer trust in the authenticity and safety of food that is domestically produced. We examined the relationship between the concerns of Chinese consumers regarding food fraud, and the role that demonstrating authenticity may play in relieving those concerns.MethodsA two-stage mixed method design research design was adopted. First, qualitative research (focus groups n = 7) was conducted in three Chinese cities, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu to explore concerns held by Chinese consumers in relation to food fraud. A subsequent quantitative survey (n = 850) tested hypotheses derived from the qualitative research and theoretical literature regarding the relationship between attitudinal measures (including risk perceptions, social trust, and perceptions of benefit associated with demonstrating authenticity), and behavioral intention to purchase “authentic” European products using structural equation modelling.ResultsChinese consumers perceive food fraud to be a hazard that represents a food safety risk. Food hazard concern was identified to be geographically influenced. Consumers in Chengdu (tier 2 city) possessed higher levels of hazard concern compared to consumers in Beijing and Guangzhou (tier 1). Structural trust (i.e. trust in actors and the governance of the food supply chain) was not a significant predictor of attitude and intention to purchase authenticated food products. Consumers were shown to have developed ‘risk-relieving’ strategies to compensate for the lack of trust in Chinese food and the dissonance experienced as a consequence of food fraud. Indexical and iconic authenticity cues provided by food manufacturers and regulators were important elements of product evaluations, although geographical differences in their perceived importance were observed.ConclusionsTargeted communication of authenticity assurance measures, including; regulations; enforcement; product testing; and actions taken by industry may improve Chinese consumer trust in the domestic food supply chain and reduce consumer concerns regarding the food safety risks associated with food fraud. To support product differentiation and retain prestige, European food manufactures operating within the Chinese market should recognise regional disparities in consumer risk perceptions regarding food fraud and the importance of personal risk mitigation strategies adopted by Chinese consumers to support the identification of authentic products.