China has experienced frequent food safety incidents that have undermined consumer trust in the food supply chain. To overcome this problem, China requalified the legislative framework and adopted a comprehensive food certification system over the years. Here, we investigated the influences of food traceability and Chinese certifications (QS/SC—food quality safety market access/production system, hazard-free, green, and organic) on Chinese consumer trust of food safety for different types of products: fish, meat, milk, eggs, and rice. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys conducted in rural and urban Chinese areas. With a sample of 757 questionnaires, we ran a logit model. The results show consumers’ uncertainty and skepticism of certifications guaranteeing food safety attributes, especially for animal-based products. We found that price is used as a cue of safety by Chinese consumers. Individuals with higher education seem less influenced by certifications and other cues included in the analysis. The findings demonstrate that Chinese policy makers should implement new strategies to enhance consumer food safety trust, and design policies by considering different categories (e.g., vegetables, meat, fish, etc.) of food.

Economically motivated or accidental species substitutions lead to economic and potential health damage to consumers with a loss of confidence in the fishery supply chain. In the present study, a three–year survey on 199 retail seafood products sold on the Bulgarian market was addressed to assess: (1) product authenticity by molecular identification; (2) trade name compliance to the list of official trade names accepted in the territory; (3) adherence of the list in force to the market supply. DNA barcoding on mitochondrial and nuclear genes was applied for the identification of whitefish (WF), crustaceans (C) and mollusks (cephalopods—MC; gastropods—MG; bivalves—MB) except for Mytilus sp. products for which the analysis was conducted with a previously validated RFLP PCR protocol. Identification at the species level was obtained for 94.5% of the products. Failures in species allocation were reconducted due to low resolution and reliability or the absence of reference sequences. The study highlighted an overall mislabeling rate of 11%. WF showed the highest mislabeling rate (14%), followed by MB (12.5%), MC (10%) and C (7.9%). This evidence emphasized the use of DNA–based methods as tools for seafood authentication. The presence of non–compliant trade names and the ineffectiveness of the list to describe the market species varieties attested to the need to improve seafood labeling and traceability at the national level.