Influencing factors of consumer willingness-to-buy traceable foods: An analysis of survey data from two Chinese cities

Utilizing a survey method in the cities of Beijing and Xianyang, we investigated consumers’ awareness, attitude and willingness to buy traceable food. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify the main factors influencing purchasing desires. Consumers were generally concerned about food safety issues; however, the awareness level with regard to traceable food was low. Consumer distrust of public policy and the public media blocked the effectiveness of a food traceability system. Consumers’ willingness to buy traceable food is driven primarily by their evaluation of the safety of traceable food and acknowledgement of the importance of implementing food traceability. It is likely that with increased consumer awareness of the relationship between a food traceability system and food safety, their willingness to consume traceable food will increase significantly. However, according to this survey, due to higher prices, consumers currently are not willing to buy traceable food. Those consumers who are willing to buy traceable food pay 9%–12% more than for non-traceable food.