Purpose

Food safety is an issue of key concern for Chinese consumers. This study identifies intrinsic and extrinsic cues on product labels or websites that Chinese consumers use to assess a product's perceived safety.

Design/methodology/approach

Five structured focus groups (total participants n = 41) were run in Suzhou China, in Chinese, to gather consumers' perceptions towards food safety cues.

Findings

A total of 18 safety cues were identified during the focus group discussions. Certifications, country of origin, production date and shelf life, ingredients and materials and nutritional information were the five safety cues consumers perceived to be the most important. The risks perceived by consumers differed based on: product category (e.g. meat, dairy, cereal); product form (e.g. fresh, chilled, frozen) and degree of processing. Interestingly, consumers used different food safety cues to assess a packaged product compared to the product shown on a website.

Research limitations/implications

While providing deep qualitative insights into perceptions of food safety cues, further studies which seek to conduct quantitative work within a wider demographic context are encouraged.

Practical implications

This information will help to provide best practice advice for international marketers and government risk communicators on how and where to communicate the safety of food products so that they can maximise the effectiveness of their messaging within the appropriate information channels and thereby ensure that it resonates well with Chinese consumers.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the academic knowledge of consumer perceptions of cues related to food safety.