Effects of Food-Additive-Information on Consumers’ Willingness to Accept Food with Additives

Yingqi Zhong, Linhai Wu, Xiujuan Chen, Zuhui Huang and Wuyang Hu
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Yingqi Zhong: School of Economics, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Linhai Wu: Institute for Food Safety Risk Management & School of Business, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Xiujuan Chen: Institute for Food Safety Risk Management & School of Business, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Zuhui Huang: China Academy of Rural Development, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Wuyang Hu: Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: This study tested whether information on positive food additives and negative food additives had an effect on consumers’ risk perception and their willingness to accept (WTA) food with additives. Consumers’ WTA was examined via a random n th-price auction of exchanging freshly squeezed orange juice without additives for orange juice with additives. Results show that consumers’ WTA differs with the order in which information was provided. Consumers are generally more sensitive to negative than positive information on additives. Female, middle-educated consumers are more susceptible to additive information and their WTA is more likely to change, while postgraduate-educated consumers are less sensitive to additive information. Consumers with higher food-safety satisfaction have lower WTA than those who are not satisfied with food safety. However, their satisfaction is easily affected by the negative-information intervention. Interestingly, consumers with relatively good knowledge of additives had higher WTA than those with no such knowledge. This study provides insight on how to establish effective food-safety-risk communication. Government and non-government agencies need to timely and accurately eliminate food-safety scares through the daily communication and disclosure of food-safety information, as well as prevent the misguidance of negative food safety-risk information.

Keywords: food safety; willingness to accept (WTA); food additives; random n th-price auction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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