Consumer trust in the dairy value chain in China: The role of trustworthiness, the melamine scandal, and the media

摘要

This study provides a deep insight into Chineseconsumer trust in the Chinese dairy value chain, asa lack of trust due to the 2008 melamine scandal hasbeen widely recognized as a barrier to the developmentof the domestic dairy industry in China. Basedon face-to-face interviews with 954 Chinese consumersin Beijing, Shanghai, and Shijiazhuang, this studymeasured consumer trust in farmers, manufacturers,retailers, the government, and third parties. Consumertrust was studied by measuring the effect of beliefs onthe trustworthiness of actors (i.e., competence, benevolence,integrity, credibility, and openness), and currentexperiences regarding the melamine scandal and themedia. The results showed that the level of trust indairy chain actors varied. The government and thirdparties were relatively highly trusted, whereas retailerswere considered less trustworthy. The importanceof consumer beliefs about trustworthiness are differentamong actors. Consumer belief of competence determinestrust in farmers and manufacturers. For retailers,the government, and third parties, respectively, benevolence,credibility, and openness are the most importantfactors. Trust in dairy chain actors is still stronglynegatively affected by current experiences regarding themelamine scandal, even though it occurred more than10 years ago. Using social media to directly providemore information and establish continuous daily communicationwith consumers could help manufacturersand third parties to strengthen consumer trust.