The current study focuses on identifying the factors responsible for building trust in organic foods. This study also attempted to establish the mediating role of food-related personality traits in building such trust. The quantitative data was collected from the Liaoning province of China through a structured questionnaire (n = 420). Established scales were adopted for measuring constructs. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that consumer trust towards retailers was found to be highly significant in creating trust of customers regarding organic food products, followed by information on the label. The trust of consumers towards food manufacturer was also found to be a significant predictor, while the perceived knowledge of customers about organic food products was found to be a weak contributor towards building trust. Furthermore, food-related personality traits were found to mediate the hypothesized model. This study extends the literature on trust in organic food consumption by intending to provide a detailed analysis of the factors that build trust in organic food consumption in China. The findings of this study will help producers, retailers, and marketers to identify the appropriate strategies to establish and improve the consumer trust in organic food.

The study’s objective is to explore the predictors of organic food purchase intention in a nascent organic market in one of the developing countries in South Asia. Further, the study also attempts to establish the mediating role of trust in organic food purchase intention. The quantitative data is collected from two cities of Pakistan through a structured questionnaire. A total of 325 responses are collected, out of which 312 responses are considered for further analysis. Structural equation modeling technique is used to test the hypothesis. “Personal attributes” is found to be a more significant predictor of organic food purchase intention than other attributes. Trust in organic food partially mediate personal attributes and product attributes with organic food purchase intention. The study contributes to understanding the primary attributes responsible for the purchase of organic food in a nascent organic market and establishes trust. This study also provides guidelines for the policymakers to shift their focus to organic farming, which will bring considerable benefits to health and the environment and a profitable business because consumer’s intentions coincide.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the factors affecting the consumption intention of Chinese cuisines for the foreigners living in China. The study also explains the role of variety seeking behavior of consumers in the consumption intention of Chinese cuisines. Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative data were obtained using a structured questionnaire that is based on Dalian, Liaoning province, of People’s Republic of China. A total of 305 responses were collected, and out of which, 282 were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: The results indicate that food novelty and utilitarian value are better predictors of consumption intention of Chinese cuisines. The food quality is also found to be significant with consumption of Chinese cuisines. The variety seeking behavior of consumers found to mediate the relationship of food quality, food novelty and utilitarian value with consumption intention toward Chinese cuisines. Originality/value: The contribution made by the current study is twofold. First, the value of study lies in identifying the factors that are responsible for food consumption intention of foreigners in China, which is an overlooked area in the previous literature. Second, the study also establishes the role of variety seeking behavior of consumers in consumption intention. The authoritative construct of variety seeking behavior matches well with the context of the current study, as the Chinese cuisine is well renowned in the world for its wide variety. Further, the findings are valuable to the stakeholders of restaurant industry in guiding them on how best they can attract foreign consumers toward local Chinese cuisines.

Purpose: There is a growing demand for healthy food across multicultural societies, and there are few exploratory studies that examined the motivations behind healthy eating. The purpose of this study is to explore the motives and understand the perceptions of healthy eating and how the online community conceptualizes their healthy eating.Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from the online community, such as posts and comments on YouTube channels, Facebook, Twitter and blogs using the hashtags (#healthyeating, #healthylifestyle, #foodforyourhealth, #culinarymedicine, #functionalfood and #nutrition). Content related to healthy eating was transcribed manually. Consumer motives regarding healthy food choices were explored using qualitative data analysis software using thematic analysis and applying Kozinet’s steps for data analysis. By examining communication on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and blogs, this online study will help us to understand the motives behind healthy food choices.Findings: Respondents appeared to rate food goods’ healthiness on a spectrum. Healthy eating can be conceptualized at both the concrete and abstract representation levels. The themes that emerged through thematic analysis were healthy lifestyles, culinary medicine and the perceived benefits of food.Practical implications: This study will guide policymakers and marketers of food products on how to develop strategies while making food products for multicultural societies. Social networking platforms are used to disseminate information on healthy eating to the online community.Originality/value: The results that were found express the need for healthy food as well as health-related problems and diseases, and they reflect subjects of interest. Social networking sites give healthcare professionals a forum to interact with and educate the online community about nutrition and health. A health care provider can actively participate in online discussion to establish rapport, respond to questions and serve as a reliable source of factual information.