Consumer confidence and consumers’ preferences for infant formulas in China

作     者：LI Sai-wei ZHU Chen CHEN Qi-hui LIU Yu-mei 

作者机构：College of Economics and Management China Agricultural University Beijing 100083 P.R.China Center for Food and Health Economic Research College of Economics and Management China Agricultural University Beijing100083 P.R.China 

出 版 物：《Journal of Integrative Agriculture》 (农业科学学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2019年第18卷第8期

页      面：1793-1803页

核心收录：

学科分类：12[管理学] 0202[经济学-应用经济学] 02[经济学] 1201[管理学-管理科学与工程(可授管理学、工学学位)] 020205[经济学-产业经济学] 

基　　金：funded by a grant from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China (05162130111242003) Sino-Dutch Dairy Development Centre (SDDDC2017R02) 

主　　题：consumer confidence food safety infant formula choice experiment willingness to pay China 

摘      要：A series of safety incidents related to domestically-produced infant formulas(DIFs) almost destroyed Chinese consumer confidence in domestic dairy products. Understanding consumer confidence and its effect on consumption behavior is important to restore consumer confidence and enhance the competitiveness of domestic dairy industry. This article first measures Chinese consumer confidence in DIFs safety using a two-dimension scale(optimism and pessimism) and then investigates its effect on consumers’ preferences for DIFs through a choice experiment. Involving 450 consumers residing in Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, the experiment elicited information on their preferences for DIFs with six attributes(organic raw milk, farm-to-table traceability, region of origin, quality certification, animal welfare, and price). Our analysis yields four findings. First, Chinese consumers still lack confidence in DIFs safety. Second, quality certification is the most preferred product characteristic, followed by organic raw milk and farm-to-table traceability. Third, serving as a signal of high quality, price exerts a positive impact on choices of DIFs for pessimistic consumers. Finally, consumer preferences for farm-to-table traceability and region of origin are significantly influenced by consumer confidence.