Consumer's trust-in-food-safety typology in Taiwan: Food-related lifestyle matters

Abstract

Though previous studies have closely examined public perceptions of various types of food hazards as well as trust and risk communication issues, no adequate attention has been directed to understanding an individual's trust-in-food-safety typology in terms of reflexive–non-reflexive and trust–distrust praxes associated with food-related lifestyles regarding the assessment, preparation and actual consumption of food products. The aim of this study is to understand ifpeople with different trust-in-food-safety typologies will have different food-related lifestyles. The ANOVA results in this Taiwanese case reveal that Denying respondents always obtained the lowest scores for all subscales of the food-related lifestyles scale except one (the recognition that cooking is a woman's task). Naïve respondents not only recognise that cooking is woman's task but also enjoy looking for new ways and have self-fulfilment in food. Sceptical respondents express high interest in specialty shops, price criteria, health, price/quality relation, organic products and freshness but do not recognise that cooking is woman's task. Sensible respondents express high interest in the importance of product information, shopping lists, whole family, planning and social relationships. But for each trust-in-food-safety typology, all respondents’ food-related lifestyles in terms of consumption situations and their attitudes toward advertising, their enjoyment from shopping and their interest in cooking are the same. Moreover, taste, convenience and security are equally important among the four types of respondents who have different degrees of trust in food safety. Some suggestions for the food policy makers and the marketers of the food industry are also provided here.

Keywords:

• risk
• risk perception
• food
• food-related lifestyle
• trust
• trust in food safety typology

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Council, Republic of China (NSC 96-2416-H-036-002 MY2).