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The Determinants of Consumer Confidence in Credence Attributes:Trust in the Food System and in Brands

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  • Lassoued, Rim
  • Hobbs, Jill E.

Abstract

Given the credence nature of food quality and food safety attributes, consumers rely on abstract systems of regulation as well as quality signals such as brands to make informed choices. Motivated by the need to further investigate what influences consumer confidence in credence attributes, this paper develops a conceptual framework in which trust in the food system (i.e. government, farmers, manufacturers, and retailers) and brand trust are posited to influence public confidence in credence attributes. The proposition is tested using Structural Equation Modeling techniques based on survey data from a sample of Canadian consumers of fresh chicken meat and of packaged green salad. Survey results indicate that while both trust in the food system and brand trust are positively associated with consumer confidence in credence attributes, the influence of system trust on public confidence is more pronounced than the effect of trust in individual food brands. The effect of brand trust also appears to vary across product categories. The paper offers insights into the use of SEM to model the complexity underlying the determinants and outcomes of trust within food networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Lassoued, Rim & Hobbs, Jill E., 2014. "The Determinants of Consumer Confidence in Credence Attributes:Trust in the Food System and in Brands," 2014 AAEA/EAAE/CAES Joint Symposium: Social Networks, Social Media and the Economics of Food, May 29-30, 2014, Montreal, Canada 166103, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aajs14:166103
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.166103
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hobbs, Jill E. & Innes, Brian G. & Uzea, Adrian D. & Zhang, Jing, 2012. "Food Quality Verifications and Consumer Trust," 86th Annual Conference, April 16-18, 2012, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 135069, Agricultural Economics Society.
    2. Dierks, Leef H. & Hanf, C.-Hennig, 2006. "Trust as a Determinant of Consumer Behaviour in Food Safety Crises," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25452, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Julie A. Caswell & Eliza M. Mojduszka, 1996. "Using Informational Labeling to Influence the Market for Quality in Food Products," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 78(5), pages 1248-1253.
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    Keywords

    Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; Health Economics and Policy;
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