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We investigate the impact of trust on stated purchases for a food with health-related attributes (omega-3 content) that may be associated with fortification or genetically modified (GM) ingredients based on data from a Canada-wide survey. Assessing the predictive power of various trust measures on consumers' food choices using latent class models indicates that respondents who are generally trusting and also trust the food system are less averse to GM food. The finding that generalized trust (measured by trust in strangers and past trusting behavior) also affects consumers' choices of GM food, suggests that some concerns about GM-derived food are related to an individual's worldview and may be beyond the control of the food system. [EconLit citations: D 120, L 660]. r

Promoting a healthy diet through education is part of the Healthy China 2030 action plan. However, studies examining how dietary knowledge affects public health in China are sparse. This study employs multiple waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data to examine the impacts of dietary knowledge on Chinese adults’ health, with a particular emphasis on how the impacts of dietary knowledge vary across different demographic groups. Moreover, we contribute to the literature by incorporating the spouse’s dietary knowledge into the analysis framework to inspect the relationship between a spouse’s dietary knowledge and an individual’s health. Our results indicate that dietary knowledge significantly improves an individual’s health status. However, there is no evidence that an individual’s health is influenced by his/her spouse’s dietary knowledge. Moreover, we find that individuals with a lower level of education and rural residents benefit more from increasing dietary knowledge. Policy implications of this study are also discussed.

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This study examines the influences of brand and certification on Chinese consumers' choices of fresh milk products.Specifically, we examine interrelationships between brand and certification for fresh milk and how trust and consumption habits affect consumers' reactions to these different quality signals. Our results show that Chinese consumers tend to buy branded rather than unbranded fresh milk products and that fresh milk carrying quality certifications is also preferred. We find evidence of both substitution and complementary effects between brands and certifications. Results from a latent class model reveal three latent consumer groups for fresh milk: brand/certification seekers, price-sensitive shoppers, and habitual buyers. Habitual buyers are loyal to the brand they most frequently purchase, whereas respondents who exhibit higher levels of trust and education are more likely to be brand/certification seekers. [EconLit Citations: Q13; D12].