Consumers have become increasingly concerned about food safety due to numerous food scandals and incidents over the past two decades. Consequently, they demand to be informed of the processes involved along the food supply chain. Employing a traceability system, tracing food from ‘farm to fork’, has been embraced by the food industries and governments as an important tool to restore and increase consumers’ confidence in food safety. However, there is limited research examining consumers’ perceptions of, and confidence in, the food traceability system to fulfil the role of ensuring food safety. To bridge the knowledge gap, we conducted an online survey of 489 consumers from three major Australian cities. The results suggested that although participants had a great desire to know how their food was produced and handled, it was their understanding of, and confidence in, food traceability systems that strongly predicted their willingness to pay (WTP) for having their food traced. Participants also indicated that, in comparison to locally produced food products, it was more important to have imported food products traced. However, paradoxically, the information provided by the traceability system of imported food products was less trusted. The results highlight that, in order to use the food traceability system to gain consumer trust in food safety, it is critical to inform consumers how the system works to build their confidence in the system.

中文翻译：

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建立对食品安全的信心：可追溯性是否是消费者眼中的解决方案？

在过去的二十年中，由于众多食品丑闻和事件，消费者对食品安全越来越关注。因此，他们要求被告知食品供应链中涉及的过程。食品行业和政府已经开始采用可追溯系统，从“农场到餐桌”追踪食品，这是恢复和增强消费者对食品安全的信心的重要工具。但是，很少有研究检查消费者对食品可追溯系统的看法和信心，以履行确保食品安全的作用。为了弥合知识差距，我们对来自澳大利亚三个主要城市的489名消费者进行了在线调查。结果表明，尽管参与者非常想知道他们的食物是如何生产和处理的，但这是他们对食物的理解，以及对食品可追溯性系统的信心，这些系统强烈地预测了其对食品进行追溯的支付意愿（WTP）。与会者还指出，与本地生产的食品相比，追查进口食品更为重要。然而，自相矛盾的是，进口食品可追溯系统提供的信息不那么可信。结果表明，为了使用食品追溯系统获得消费者对食品安全的信任，至关重要的是告知消费者该系统如何工作以建立他们对该系统的信心。追踪进口食品更为重要。然而，自相矛盾的是，进口食品可追溯系统提供的信息不那么可信。结果表明，为了使用食品追溯系统获得消费者对食品安全的信任，至关重要的是告知消费者该系统如何工作以建立他们对该系统的信心。追踪进口食品更为重要。然而，自相矛盾的是，进口食品可追溯系统提供的信息不那么可信。结果表明，为了使用食品追溯系统获得消费者对食品安全的信任，至关重要的是告知消费者该系统如何工作以建立他们对该系统的信心。