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Chinese consumer preference for processed food quality attributes and the impact of trust in information sources

Erpeng Wang (School of Economics and Management, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China)
Zhifeng Gao (Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA)
Xuqi Chen (Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA)

British Food Journal

ISSN: 0007-070X

Article publication date: 29 July 2021

Issue publication date: 8 February 2022

391

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine important attributes of processed food, consumers’ trust in different information resources, and the impact of trust, demographic and behavior variables on the preference of processed food attributes among Chinese consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data of 1,267 participants were collected from four cities in China. A five-point Likert scale was used to measure consumer preference for 12 juice attributes. Consumer trust in nine sources of information on product quality was measured. Cluster analysis was used to segment consumers into groups based on their preference for juice attributes and trust in information sources, respectively. A multinomial logistic model was used to determine the impact of trust, demographic and behavior variables on the preference of juice attributes.

Findings

Consumers rate manufacture date, taste and food safety labels as the most important attributes of fruit juice products. Among different information sources, consumers place more trust in private information sources and traditional media. The low trust in different information sources impedes consumer preference for processed food quality attributes.

Originality/value

This research is among the few that examine consumer preference for processed food, such as juice. It identifies four distinct preference groups and trust groups, respectively, based on consumer preference for juice attributes and trust in different information sources. This paper provides important information for processed food companies and policymakers to effectively enact marketing strategies in China.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the valuable comments from the editor and anonymous reviewers. This study was supported by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. The research (Wang) is/was also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Projects (71903088) and the Project of Humanities and Social Science of the Ministry of Education in China (19YJC790132).Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors.

Citation

Wang, E., Gao, Z. and Chen, X. (2022), "Chinese consumer preference for processed food quality attributes and the impact of trust in information sources", British Food Journal, Vol. 124 No. 3, pp. 871-884. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-01-2021-0041

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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