Consumer acceptance of food irradiation: a test of the recreancy theorem

Consumers living in both developed and developing nations rely upon foods that have been produced and processed in many countries and in a wide variety of ways. Therefore, it is not surprising that they express concerns about the safety of their food supplies. A technology proposed to improve consumer trust in food safety is irradiation. Despite extensive education efforts and endorsements given by many health‐related organizations worldwide, food irradiation has been slow to gain widespread acceptance. This ineffectiveness of diffusion efforts might indicate a need to broaden our theoretical perspectives of consumer acceptance of controversial technologies. Most theoretical approaches explain acceptance primarily as a function of perceived risks associated with a technology. The recreancy theorem, in contrast, explains acceptance as a function of public trust in societal institutions to effectively manage a technology. This study investigated the extent to which the recreancy theorem explained acceptance of food irradiation by US consumers, while statistically controlling for perceived risk and social‐demographic variables. The study used a longitudinal field design to survey one adult each in 116 households located in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area during the first large‐scale market test of irradiated food. The results indicate that the recreancy theorem might provide a valid conceptual approach to gaining a broader understanding of consumer acceptance of controversial new technologies.     

A comparison of alternative theoretical explanations of consumer food safety assessments

The technical approach assumes that risk assessments made by technical experts are relatively objective and value‐free evaluations of the probability of negative consequences arising from use of a technology. Risk communication strategies associated with the technical approach focus upon educating an uninformed public about ‘actual’ risk. When consumer perceptions do not agree with technical assessments, consumers are deemed to be uniformed, irrational and sometimes dangerous to public health programmes. The social process approach assumes that technical assessments and applications of technology are influenced by political, social and economic interests. Consumer perceptions arise from social interaction with family and friends and depend strongly upon trust in societal institutions. Risk communication strategy emphasizes the importance of two‐way communication that encourages well reasoned public discourse and trust in societal institutions. Findings from examining the cognitive, emotional, and social determinants of perceptions of food irradiation for 164 adults residing in the Mid‐western USA indicate that the technical and social process approaches are complementary, but most of the variance in acceptance and perceived risk was explained by variables associated with the social process approach.     

Thoughts,attitudes and profile of Brazilian consumers regarding food irradiation

This study aimed to examine the neophobia, knowledge, thoughts, and opinions related to food irradiation among consumers living in a small city in Brazil through the application of a behavioral and sociodemographic questionnaire. It was found that the 271 respondents had little knowledge about the process of food irradiation and had low intent to purchase irradiated food; several consumers associated irradiated food with radioactivity and cancer. Individuals with better knowledge about irradiation and those who are young, single, did not live with children, and had higher levels of education and higher monthly family incomes were more likely to buy irradiated foods than others. These results describe the profile of potential consumers of irradiated foods and the knowledge, thoughts and opinions of the residents of a small city relative to food irradiation. This data could assist industries that irradiate foods to adopt strategies that ensure greater acceptance of their products.     

Consumer Acceptance of the New Red-Fleshed Apple Variety

The aim of this study was to investigate consumer preference for the novel red-fleshed apple genotypes. The information presented provides us with insight into consumer propensity to accept a new variety with radical visible innovative attributes and societal demand for a more sustainable production. The survey was carried out on the population of a province in central Italy, where there is consumer demand for organic and high-quality foods. The consumers’ opinions contrasted greatly and can be divided into two groups. Over one quarter of the respondents declared that they did not like the innovative fruit. The cluster analysis and CHAID analyses were performed on the consumers’ responses to determine sample groupings. Three clusters were identified among the consumers with positive opinions, enthusiastic, health-conscious, and unmotivated illustrating how the hierarchical level of preferences of the potential consumers of the red-fleshed apple fruit are triggered by various motivations. The surveys also pointed out that most consumers of the sampled population were not biased against research activities producing innovative food products. A large number of consumers, especially women, declared that they were willing to pay a higher price considering the increased nutritional value of red-fleshed apple fruits. By examining the broad context of this study, decision-making researchers and operators of the fruit industry will be able to make informed and realistic predictions concerning possible future scenarios and to determine the possible effects and desirability.     

Do social media platforms develop consumer panic buying during the fear of Covid-19 pandemic

There is inadequate understanding of how social media can shape fear and consumer responses in the manner of consumer panic buying while Covid-19 is spreading across the world. Through taking a social constructionism position this research focused on what people think and feel at an individual and collective level on the role of social media to create panic behaviour. Data have been collected from thirty-four consumers who have minimum one active social media account. These participants are contacted through telephonic interview due to maintaining the social distancing. Findings reveal that uncertainties and insecurities proof, buying as persuasion, product unavailability proof, authorities' communication, global logic, and expert opinion are some of the causes on social media platforms that developed the situation of consumer panic buying during Covid-19 crises. Furthermore, the unprecedented level of real-time information on Covid-19 at users' fingertips can give them the tools they need to make smart decisions, but also make them more anxious about what is to come; experts say that may lead to panic buying or stockpiling of products. The study has tried to develop understanding about how social media generates social proof and offers a window into people's collective response to the coronavirus outbreak and shapes panic buying reaction. The study has provided a consumer panic buying theory based on the results of this study and on existing theories, such as global capitalism/information society risk society, social influence, and social proof. These theories help to understand how global logic is built due to the use of social media and how different social proofs are generated which developed the behaviour of consumer panic buying due to Covid-19 pandemic.     

How source cues impact consumer evaluations of direct and indirect persuasion attempts

This research demonstrates how the directness of a persuasion attempt by a sales agent, in this case flattery, changes how source cues influence consumers’ evaluation of the shopping experience. When the persuasion attempt is direct, source cues do not influence consumer evaluations. However, when an indirect persuasion attempt is used, it is only effective when positive source cues are present. In particular, when the persuasion attempt is indirect, evaluations are more effective when the sales agent is attractive to or shares similar opinions with the consumer. Copyright © 2013 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Product attributes and consumer acceptance of nutritionally enhanced genetically modified foods

Using data from a national survey, this study analyses US consumers’ acceptance of genetically modified foods that provide additional nutritional benefits. Using an ordered probit model, this study examines the relation between the willingness to consume genetically modified foods and consumers’ economic, demographic and value attributes. Empirical results suggest that despite having some reservations, especially about the use of biotechnology in animals, American consumers are not decidedly opposed to food biotechnology. Consumers’ economic and demographic variables are only weakly related to their acceptance of food biotechnology, especially when technology involves plant‐to‐plant DNA transfer. However, public trust and confidence in various private and public institutions are significantly related to their acceptance of food biotechnology. Overall, consumer acceptance of bioengineered foods is driven primarily by public perceptions of risks, benefits and safety of these food products.     

Implications of fast food restaurant concentration for preschool-aged childhood obesity

In this research, the authors examine the effects on preschool-aged childhood obesity rates associated with the direct and moderating influence of fast food restaurant density levels, consumer poverty, and urbanization. Results show that higher levels of fast food restaurant saturation are associated with increased levels of childhood obesity in both urban and poor areas, with the largest negative effect of fast food availability on obesity occurring in more economically disadvantaged, urban areas. Findings highlight why the societal impacts of targeting vulnerable populations through corporate location selection strategies should be fully considered in social marketing initiatives, especially given that unhealthy products with long term health risks are increasingly accessible.     

CONSUMER INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN VIDEOTEX: DESIGN AND ACCEPTANCE

Comprehensive information about complex products with frequent product changes is delineated as an area where consumer information systems in videotex could be most promising. Four psychological principles for the design of such systems are presented and applied to construct an information system to support automobile purchases. Results from an empirical study show very favourable evaluations of this information system by videotex users. Several possible determinants of acceptance are discussed.     

Is Publicity Always Better than Advertising? The Role of Brand Reputation in Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility

Previous studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication suggest that firms’ social initiatives should be communicated through third-party, non-corporate sources because they are perceived as unbiased and therefore reduce consumer skepticism. In this article, we extend existing research by showing that source effects in the communication of social sponsorships are contingent on the brand’s pre-existing reputation. We argue that the congruence between the credibility and trustworthiness of the message source and the brand helps predict consumer responses to a social sponsorship. The results show that a non-corporate source (publicity) generates more positive brand evaluations than a corporate source (advertising) when the sponsor has a positive reputation. However, the converse effect occurs when brand reputation is low: when the sponsor has a poor reputation, a corporate source generates more positive brand evaluations than a non-corporate source. Mediation analyses show that the interaction effect between CSR information source and brand reputation can be explained by sponsorship attitude, persuasion knowledge, and perceived fit between the brand and the cause.     

The effect of knowledge types on consumer‐perceived risk and adoption of genetically modified foods

Scientists have asserted that genetically modified (GM) food offers financial, environmental, health, and quality benefits to society, but the realization of such benefits depends on consumer acceptance of this new technology. Consumer concerns about GM food raise questions about what consumers know about GM food and to what extent this knowledge translates into their evaluations of GM products. The present research empirically examines the effect of both objective and subjective knowledge on perceived risk and, in turn, key consumer behaviors associated with GM food. The results reveal that objective knowledge about GM food significantly reduces performance and psychological risks, whereas subjective knowledge influences only physical risk, and the valence of that impact depends on the level of the consumer's objective knowledge. Furthermore, different risk types enhance consumers' information search and reduce their propensity to buy GM food. The overall findings thus suggest the need for cooperation among government, scientific institutions, and the food industry to foster effective communication strategies that increase consumers' objective knowledge, reduce their risk perceptions, and encourage consumer adoptions of GM technology. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Consumer needs and requirements for food and ingredient traceability information

The introduction of improved food traceability systems has aimed to restore consumer confidence in food safety and quality, in part by being able to provide consumers with more information about the origins of foods and food ingredients. However, little is known about consumers' opinions and beliefs associated with traceability, nor their preferences for information provision. In the current paper, consumer information needs and requirements regarding traceability are investigated. Semi‐structured interviews with consumers in four European countries focused on the need for traceability, the preferred means of communication, labelling and bodies held responsible for traceability and dealing with fraud. Results show that there is a clear consumer need for varied information about food and the production processes involved. Rigorous and accountable traceability systems may assist in making such information available to consumers.     

Consumer Acceptance of Interactive Media in Service Marketing Encounters

This study considers a number of factors that could influence consumer acceptance of interactive information systems in complex service marketing situations. Further, it investigates the potential relevance of various theoretical perspectives to research involving new communication media such as videotex and teletext. Technical characteristics of the medium, which determine its degree of interactivity, are found to affect user perceptions of the medium's ‘personalness' or ‘social presence’. Characteristics of both the medium and the user are found to affect consumer acceptance of an interactive medium in a financial services setting.     

A comparison and evaluation of research methods used in consumer food safety studies

Worldwide incidence of food‐borne disease has increased in recent years and data suggest that inadequate food‐handling behaviour in the domestic environment may be an important factor. As a consequence of this, research into aspects of consumer food safety has been undertaken, especially in the UK and USA. The overall aims of conducting such research have been to investigate aspects of consumer food safety behaviour and to utilize information in the development of effective food safety education initiatives. In the past 25 years, 87 consumer food safety studies have been undertaken using different research methodologies; 75% utilized survey techniques (questionnaires and interviews), 17% were based on direct observation, and 8% utilized focus groups. The advantages and disadvantages of the different research methods used are discussed. Similarly, different forms of reliability and validity have been considered in the context of each research method used. A comparison of results from consumer food safety studies has shown that use of different research designs and approaches has resulted in differences in the findings about consumer food safety behaviour. Survey responses have provided a more optimistic portrayal of consumer food safety behaviour than data obtained from focus groups and direct observation. Although consumers have demonstrated knowledge, positive attitudes and intentions to implement safe practices, substantially larger proportions of consumers have been observed to implement frequent malpractices. This suggests that observational data provide the most reliable information denoting consumers’ actual food safety behaviour and should be used preferentially with risk‐based data for the design of communication strategies.     

The impact of the implicit theories of social optimism and social pessimism on macro attitudes towards consumption

People have substantially differing attitudes towards consumption. Anti-consumers are negative towards consumption. In contrast, pro-consumers view consumption in a positive light. We posit that people's attitudes toward consumption at the societal (macro) level are impacted by the implicit theories they hold about whether society can solve the problems it faces. We identify two different implicit theories consumers hold regarding how solvable larger societal problems are. Social optimists believe that we will solve the problems that are emerging as we evolve at the societal level. In contrast, social pessimists believe that societal evolution is creating problems too large to be solved. We developed a macro attitudes model where social optimism and pessimism were posited to impact people's macro attitudes towards consumption. We present the results of a study that found that social optimists have more positive attitudes towards consumption and social pessimists have more negative attitudes towards consumption. We also found that this model provided a superior fit in comparison to three other plausible models relating implicit theories and attitudes towards consumption. These findings have implications for anti-consumption research, consumer research on implicit theories, and social marketing designed to address problems associated with overconsumption.     

New Thinking on Antecedents to Successful CRM Campaigns: Consumer Acceptance of an Alliance

The nature of a cause-brand alliance (CBA) makes it a unique marketing promotion that creates an association or alliance between the corporation selling a product and a social cause or issue. This study was developed to resolve the equivocal research results of past research. The research results suggest that consumer acceptance of a CBA mediates the relationships between situational contexts (prevalence of the social cause and congruence of the alliance) and consumer attitude toward the corporate alliance partner. This study observed that when prevalence is high, consumers’ acceptance of that CBA is high as well. Surprisingly, congruency did not have a significant impact on acceptance. Reasons for this unexpected finding are explored in detail. Finally, the acceptance of the CBA had a positive effect on consumers’ attitude toward the CBA.     

Promoting Educated Consumer Choices. Has EU Food Information Legislation Finally Matured?

Contemporary EU food information legislation combines and balances two main consumer interests, i.e., a consumer right to information and the freedom of choice, into one single protective standard: informed choice. Although the recent legislative measures quite openly establish a link between informed choice and the rather abstract societal norm of “what is good for the consumer,” this does not justify the conclusion that food information legislation has become overly meddlesome in relation to EU consumers and their choice of food. Rather, there has been a gradual maturing of the EU legislator’s perception of its task from the mere provision of food information to ensuring educated consumer choices. This development is a logical and necessary consequence of the growing complexity of food choices.     

Genetically Modified Foods

ABSTRACT

This study outlines the controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and how it impacts North American based food service companies' marketing policies. Recent developments have made foods derived from GMOs a strategic marketing challenge for food service franchise and chain operations. Headlines such as “Why McDonalds Pulled Frankenfries from Menus” have unwittingly put restaurants on the frontline of the battle over foods made from GMOs (Martin, 2000). A survey method was used to explore food service operations' views regarding consumer acceptance of GMOs, right to know issues (labeling) and the benefits of GMOs, as well as food service companies' strategic response to this emerging technology. Findings indicate that food service establishments were generally concerned about customer opinions and tend to prefer government mandated labeling of GMOs. They also tend to feel that GMOs offer potential benefits to their industry and that customer concerns may fade over time.     

Foods produced using biotechnology: how does the law protect consumers?

This paper addresses the following subjects: biotechnology and consumers, concern about risks, consumer acceptance, labelling of foods produced using biotechnology, the legal approach to consumer protection, and consumer protection policies relating to biotechnology products in the European Union, the United States, Turkey and global institutions such as the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It is likely that biotechnology will gain ground much more rapidly in the twenty‐first century than in the past. Despite rapid, detailed and precise advances in gene technology, its applications have not been the received with a great deal of consumer enthusiasm. Consumers have approached genetically modified foods with considerable apprehension and opposition. Consumer concerns about bioengineered food products focus on the questions of human health, environmental and social risks and benefits. The most important stages in the process of marketing new foods produced using biotechnology are to demonstrate user need and consumer acceptance. Generally, the technical complexity of biotechnology makes it difficult for consumers to understand details of the product and the specific attributes of biotechnology applications. Scientific uncertainty, the nature of consumer concerns and general reluctance to accept biotechnology products, increase the importance of consumer protection. Legal protection is a very important factor in the solution of new social problems related to technological advances. More specifically, consumer and environmental law support consumer protection related to foods produced with biotechnology. The basic principles of consumer law can be re‐formulated as consumer rights. Environmental law is a new phenomenon, but precautionary principles and public participation in decision‐making for environmental law are relevant to consumer protection relating to bioengineered food products.