Consumer trust in different food provisioning schemes: evidence from Beijing, China

Abstract

a b s t r a c tConsuming safe and sustainable food requires trust. Consumer trust in food can be established in different ways, including through personal relationships or various institutional arrangements established by government, private companies and/or civil-society organisations. The recent increase in foodsafety incidents and sustainability concerns in China suggests a dwindling trust in the current government-dominated food governance arrangement. This paper investigates whether emerging alternative trust arrangements and modes of food supply are better able to build consumer trust in contemporary China. Based on a survey of urban middle-class consumers in Beijing using various (i.e., alternative and conventional) food-supply modes, the role and importance of personal and institutional trust arrangements are compared. We found that even among the wealthier and more educated consumers in Beijing, only a small proportion regularly use alternative food-supply schemes; most rely on conventional wet markets and supermarkets. Buying food is primarily constrained by convenience, freshness and the price of food and less by food-safety concerns. In Beijing, trust in food-safety information remains largely derived from the government and less from the market (private certification schemes) or civil society. These findings contribute to the increasing body of knowledge on the embedded character of food consumption and on the relevance of designing policy strategies that connect institutional context and particular consumption practices. In our conclusion, we argue that to secure safe and sustainable food provision, the present government-based trust regime in China requires strengthening through linking up with market-and civil society-based trust regimes, complemented by elements of personalised trust.

The role of media reporting in food safety governance in China: A dairy case study

“…Fake news reports that have required clarification include fishermen using contraceptives to expedite growth of swamp eel (a species of fish in China), and McDonald's using genetically modified six-wing chickens for their products (CFDA, 2017). More importantly, studies found that most consumers regard the government as the most reliable source of information, even though they believed official information was underreported (Li et al 2012;Liu, Pieniak & Verbeke, 2013;Zhang, Xu, Oosterveer & Mol, 2016).…”

“…Governance is therefore more than simply describing the role of the government in food policy. Disclosure of information is an essential part of food safety governance (FAO & WHO, 2003) and while the government is often the most trusted source, the majority of Chinese consumers still receive information on food safety incidents from the media (Jin & Han, 2014;Peng, Li, Xia, Qi & Li, 2015;Zhang, Xu, Oosterveer & Mol, 2016). The sharp increase in Chinese media exposure of food safety incidents (Liu & Ma, 2016) shows the media's role in food safety governance.…”

Information Transparency Matters in Relation to Consumer Trust in Food Safety

“…Consumers' trust in food information communicated by public organisations is greater than by private associations (Nocella et al 2014). For example, Zhang et al (2016) found that government was the most trustworthy source of information concerning food safety, compared to private certification schemes, e.g. the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program, a civil-society organisation.…”

Networks, flows and actors : promoting sustainability in globalising food provision

“…This can be illustrated in the case where trust is undermined and consumers are confronted with crises and uncertainty. During the melamine-scandal, the poisoned baby-milk powder in China some years ago, consumers were forced to reconsider what food to buy and where to buy it (Zhang et al, 2016). Their main consideration in shopping for food was the health of their children and they searched for ways to regain trust in the food supply system.…”