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Consumer Trust in Food Safety—A Multidisciplinary Approach and Empirical Evidence from Taiwan

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  • Mei‐Fang Chen

Abstract

Food scandals that happened in recent years have increased consumers' risk perceptions of foods and decreased their trust in food safety. A better understanding of the consumer trust in food safety can improve the effectiveness of public policy and allow the development of the best practice in risk communication. This study proposes a research framework from a psychometric approach to investigate the relationships between the consumer's trust in food safety and the antecedents of risk perceptions of foods based on a reflexive modernization perspective and a cultural theory perspective in the hope of benefiting the future empirical study. The empirical results from a structural equation modeling analysis of Taiwan as a case in point reveal that this research framework based on a multidisciplinary perspective can be a valuable tool for a growing understanding of consumer trust in food safety. The antecedents in the psychometric research framework comprised reflexive modernization factors and cultural theory factors have all been supported in this study except the consumer's perception of pessimism toward food. Moreover, the empirical results of repeated measures analysis of variance give more detailed information to grasp empirical implications and to provide some suggestions to the actors and institutions involved in the food supply chain in Taiwan.

Suggested Citation

  • Mei‐Fang Chen, 2008. "Consumer Trust in Food Safety—A Multidisciplinary Approach and Empirical Evidence from Taiwan," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1553-1569, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:riskan:v:28:y:2008:i:6:p:1553-1569
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2008.01115.x
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    2. Samia Ayyub & Xuhui Wang & Muhammad Asif & Rana Muhammad Ayyub, 2018. "Antecedents of Trust in Organic Foods: The Mediating Role of Food Related Personality Traits," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Jessica L. Robinson & Rodney W. Thomas & Karl B. Manrodt, 2013. "Food for Thought in the Transportation Carrier‐Selection Decision," Transportation Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 52(2), pages 277-296, April.
    4. Rung-Jiun Chou & Feng-Tzu Huang, 2021. "Building Community Resilience via Developing Community Capital toward Sustainability: Experiences from a Hakka Settlement in Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-22, August.
    5. Simons, J. & Hartmann, M. & Klink-Lehmann, J. & Vierboom, C. & Harlen, I., 2018. "Acceptance of animal husbandry in Germany: Drivers and different ways to cope with problems," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277367, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Ayako Ebata, 2022. "Social embeddedness of pig value chains in Myanmar and its implications for food and nutrition security," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(4), pages 965-976, August.
    7. Samia Ayyub & Muhammad Asif & Muhammad Asim Nawaz, 2021. "Drivers of Organic Food Purchase Intention in a Developing Country: The Mediating Role of Trust," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, September.
    8. Shan Gao & Weimin Li & Shuang Ling & Xin Dou & Xiaozhou Liu, 2019. "An Empirical Study on the Influence Path of Environmental Risk Perception on Behavioral Responses In China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-18, August.
    9. Jiuchang Wei & Ming Zhao & Fei Wang & Peng Cheng & Dingtao Zhao, 2016. "An Empirical Study of the Volkswagen Crisis in China: Customers’ Information Processing and Behavioral Intentions," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(1), pages 114-129, January.
    10. Jeanette Klink-Lehmann & Nina Langen & Johannes Simons & Monika Hartmann, 2022. "Jumping on the Bandwagon of Responsibility—Or Not? Consumers’ Perceived Role in the Meat Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-21, May.
    11. Longji Hu & Rongjin Liu & Wei Zhang & Tian Zhang, 2020. "The Effects of Epistemic Trust and Social Trust on Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Food: An Empirical Study from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-20, October.

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