Consumers' trust in vegetable supply chain members and their behavioural responses: A study based in Queensland, Australia

In the current era, food chains are becoming increasingly complex and consumer concerns about food safety are growing. As a result, consumers tend to rely heavily on chain actors to ensure the quality of the products they consume. Given this background, this study was conducted with a view to understanding the level of consumers' trust in vegetable supply chain members and how trust influences the consumers' behavioural responses. This paper is based on data obtained from 854 respondents in south-west Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The results revealed that the level of trust placed in chain members varied across the chain. Respondents considered that domestic producers are more trustworthy in terms of producing safer vegetables and the lowest trust level was associated with imported vegetables. Gender, household size, years of stay in Australia, trust perceptions, and country of origin concerns had a significant influence on the respondents' intentions to pay a premium price for domestically produced vegetables. The study revealed that consumers respond to food safety concerns and this creates an opportunity for the vegetable industry to respond to these concerns.