scholarly journals Chinese consumer preferences for organic labels on Oolong tea: evidence from a choice experiment

Author(s):  
Xiaoke Yang ◽  
Qiuhua Chen ◽  
Nenmei Lin ◽  
Mengzhu Han ◽  
Qian Chen ◽  
...  

Repeated food scandals in China have prompted growing consumer consciousness on food safety and health. Organic food, considered to be of higher quality, is being increasingly demanded by Chinese consumers. This study examines preferences for organic labels to provide insight on the sustainable development of the Oolong tea industry. Research was conducted using the choice experiment (CE) method in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces. The results demonstrate that place of origin, organic label, and brand attributes are all significant factors affecting the purchase of Oolong. Also, people demonstrated significantly positive attitudes toward organic labels and preferred Oolong tea from Fujian Province to those from Guangdong Province and Taiwan. Increasing trust can enhance consumer preference and willingness to pay (WTP) for organic labels. Contrary to previous studies, people have a higher WTP for Chinese organic labels than Japanese and American ones. This is probably because respondents are more familiar with domestic Oolong tea and trust more in Chinese organic certification. This provides an opportunity for domestic producers to tailor their organic food labels and better satisfy consumer demands. These findings suggest that the Chinese government should take more responsibility for reducing food-related fraud and thus improve consumer trust regarding organic food.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5709
Author(s):  
Lin Bai ◽  
Zhanguo Zhu ◽  
Tong Zhang

Consumers are increasingly concerned about food quality. The “Same line Same standard Same quality” (Santong) program has been implemented to improve food quality in the Chinese domestic market. The Santong program means that exporters are encouraged to produce goods on the same production line, following the same standards and the same quality requirements for both the export target market and the domestic market. Using data collected from an online choice experiment on tomatoes, we examine Chinese consumer preferences and their willingness to pay (WTP) for the Santong claim, export target market quality and organic certification. Three types of export target market, indicating different technical regulations and standards, are considered. Our results show that consumers are willing to pay for the Santong quality claim and for export goods with a target market of “EU”. Furthermore, we also identify the substitution effects between the Santong claim and organic certification. The results of our study provide solutions for both Chinese exporters and the Chinese government to meet the need for a high level of food quality accompanied by domestic consumption upgrade, and achieve the transformation from export to domestic sales. Our results may also provide solutions for other emerging economies, where governments raise the level of food quality in domestic markets and support the domestic sales of exporters after the shock of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linhai Wu ◽  
Hongsha Wang ◽  
Dian Zhu

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reveal the actual consumer demand for traceable pork by investigating consumer preferences for pork with combined levels of traceability information based on differences in individual consumer preferences, in order to support the government in decision making regarding the gradual construction of safe food markets. Design/methodology/approach – Combinations of four types of traceability information, including farming, slaughter and processing, distribution and sales, and government certification, with price were randomly designed. To identify consumer preferences for these attribute combinations of traceable pork, 215 consumers in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province were investigated using a real choice experiment and the mixed logit model. Findings – Significant heterogeneity was observed in consumer preferences for traceable pork. The information of farming, slaughter and processing, distribution and marketing, and government certification could significantly improve consumer utility. Moreover, consumers had the highest preference for government certification information. Originality/value – Although numerous studies have been performed on consumer preferences for food safety attributes using a real choice experiment, almost none of them focus on Chinese consumers. Therefore, this study is an attempt to fill this gap. The conclusions of this study can serve as a reference for the Chinese government in developing safe food consumption policies. Although Chinese consumers have cried out for improvement of pork safety, they have different preferences for traceability information; thus, the government must promote traceable food step-by-step, using consumer preferences as a starting point.


2021 ◽  
pp. 183933492199950
Author(s):  
Canie K.Y. Chu Lo ◽  
Suzan Burton ◽  
Regan Lam ◽  
Paul Nesbit

Limited research has described a segment of consumers who prefer subtly branded luxury products, rather than conspicuous consumption. However, in comparison with the enormous amount of research mentioning conspicuous consumption, there has been only very limited research into “inconspicuous consumption,” leading to calls for more research in the area. In this article, we describe a discrete choice experiment examining the luxury product preferences of Chinese consumers, the largest market segment for luxury products. We describe and test a theoretical model investigating how product characteristics (logo prominence, price, and brand), peers’ attitudes and behaviors, and other individual characteristics influence consumers’ choice of a luxury bag. For each brand, a prominent logo was preferred, but a very large minority preferred a subtle logo. However, the effect of price, attitudinal and social factors varied across luxury brands. Implications for research and practice are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (8) ◽  
pp. 2551-2567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Dominici ◽  
Fabio Boncinelli ◽  
Francesca Gerini ◽  
Enrico Marone

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate preferences for wine made from hand-harvested grapes, and the interactive effect between this attribute and organic certification. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via an online choice experiment involving a sample of 408 Italian wine consumers. A random parameter logit was performed to estimate consumer preferences for wine attributes: harvest type, organic and the interaction between these. The experiment also includes geographical indications and price. Furthermore, a latent class model (LCM) is performed to investigate taste heterogeneity for the included wine attributes. Findings On average, consumers prefer the wine produced with hand-harvested grapes. The hypothesis of an interaction between organic and hand-harvested attributes is rejected. Using the LCM, the authors identify three segments with significant taste heterogeneity in terms of the magnitude and the sign of the parameters. Moreover, consumer attitudes towards food naturalness differ according to their belonging to the segments. Originality/value The novelty of this article is twofold. First, this study investigates, for the first time, the impact of the hand-harvested method on consumer wine preferences. Second, hand-harvesting and organic have independent values.


2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 817-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaosheng Jin ◽  
Haoyang Li ◽  
Yao Li

Purpose In recent years, fresh produce (fresh vegetables and fruit) has been circulated widely via e-commerce in Chinese large cities in the form of fresh produce portfolios (FPPs). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the preferences of Chinese consumers for specific FPP attributes. Design/methodology/approach A choice experiment approach was used to explore consumer preferences. The authors conducted a means-end-chains evaluation to select the attributes for the choice experiment. The authors used a fractional factorial design and finally obtained 18 choice scenarios. The authors collected 166 effective consumer questionnaires in Beijing. Findings The authors found that among the four attributes considered, certification and the diversity of the FPP had significant effects on the willingness to pay (WTP) among consumers. Residents had heterogeneous preferences for FPP diversity and certification, but certification was the major concern when considering fresh produce in the FPP. With regard to the WTP for attributes in the portfolio, the WTP values for “green” and “organic” attributes were high, but the WTP for the diversity of FPPs was low. Originality/value This study is the first attempt to explore the preferences of Chinese consumers regarding the attributes of FPP in an e-commerce environment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 2140-2156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiao Lu ◽  
Linhai Wu ◽  
Shuxian Wang ◽  
Lingling Xu

Purpose The purpose of this paper with pork as a case is to analyze Chinese consumer preference and demand for traceable food attributes, in order to provide a useful reference for Chinese Government in developing the safe food market and preventing food safety risks. Design/methodology/approach This research surveyed 1,380 consumers in seven pilot cities that designated by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce for the construction of a meat and vegetable circulation traceability system. A choice-based conjoint analysis and multinomial logit model were used to study consumer preferences and demand for traceable pork attributes. Findings The results demonstrated that certification of traceable information was the most important characteristic, followed by appearance and traceable information. Significant heterogeneity was obtained in consumer preferences for the attributes of traceable pork. Also, consumers’ preferences for traceable attributes were memorably influenced by age, education level, and income level. Social implications Based on these results, the government should encourage and support the production of traceable food with different certification types and different traceability levels. Meanwhile, the development of food traceability systems should be combined with a quality certification labeling system. Originality/value This study extends the applicability of the setting of traceable food attributes and levels in China, and it will improve Chinese food traceability systems through multilateral cooperation.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Rupesh Mervin M ◽  
Velmurugan R

The market of organic products is growing as the number of people willing to consume organic food and consumer preference towards organic food products is ever increasing. The promotion of organic food products constitutes an important option not only for producers, government and consumers but also to respond to societies‘ desire for higher food quality and food production that is less damaging to environment systems and improve the quality of life; this makes the study of consumer preferences highly important. The main purpose of this study is to identify the factors influencing consumer preferences toward organic products. The target population in this research includes consumers of Kozhikode district of Kerala state of India. By making use of convenience sampling method 750 respondents have been selected. Data required for the study have been collected with the help of questionnaire.The finding of the research work revealed that gender, age, occupation, monthly income, family status, level of awareness, state of health and environmental engagement are associated with consumer preference towards organic foods. The research work shows increasing monthly income and environment engagement activities influences consumer preference towards organic food products.There is an inverse relationship between consumer awareness and consumer preferences towards organic food. Organic food considered as healthy product and it is more preferred by the green consumers. The research result suggest that Government and social organizations have to promote organic farming at the households among general public and to take necessary steps for creating a regulatory system for authenticated organic certification and labeling in order to build-up the trust and confidence in consuming organic food products.


2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Nganje ◽  
Renée Shaw Hughner ◽  
Nicholas E. Lee

Revitalization of state brands is deemed important to several constituencies. Stated preference with choice experiment methods were used to elicit consumer preferences for two locally grown products: spinach, which has had a well-publicized food safety incidence, and carrots, which have had no such incidence in recent history. A full factorial design was used to implement the choice experiment, with each commodity having four identical attributes varying at different levels. Findings reveal that consumers are willing to pay a premium for locally grown spinach marked with the Arizona Grown label over locally grown spinach that was not labeled. This premium was higher than the premium that would be paid for state-branded carrots. This difference highlights consumers’ perceptions of “locally grown” as an indicator of safety in their food supply. Findings have important implications with respect to providing consumer value and point to differentiated positioning strategies for state-branded produce.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 211
Author(s):  
Kyungsoo Nam ◽  
Yiyang Qiao ◽  
Byeong-il Ahn

The eco-friendly certification system is designed to ensure safe agricultural products to consumers while minimizing environmental pollution. However, despite its advantages, it is not widely adopted due to a possible decrease of farmers’ income. In order to provide implication for activating the eco-friendly certification system, this paper examines the attributes of green tea which affect consumers’ preferences and estimates consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the eco-friendly certification in China. A choice experiment survey is employed for data collection, and the random utility model is used to estimate the preference for the certification and quality of green tea. The attribute that yields the highest marginal WTP turns out to be the organic certification for which WTP is $115.9/250g higher than for no certification. Also, the analytical results indicate that the group with high trust is willing to pay up to $214.6/250g more for green tea with organic certification compared to the one with no certification. The empirical results suggest that it is important to build the consumers’ awareness and trust toward the certification to activate the eco-friendly certification system.


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