Practitioners' Perception of the Credibility of Food Quality Assurance Schemes: exploring the effect of country of origin

Food safety and quality certificates can be viewed as credence characteristic as different actors (e.g. intermediaries, processors, retailers) in the food supply chain are not able to observe the quality of the audits in situ. This becomes more critical in the international food trade as information asymmetries increase with time and distance and consequently the credibility of the standard behind the certificate may decrease. In this context, the aim of this study was to assess from a global perspective the effect of country image on the perceived credibility of food standards. Data were collected through an on-line survey during Spring 2010. In total, data from 301 practitioners from developed and developing countries were analysed. Respondents were asked to evaluate the credibility of food standards from eight countries (Ghana, Italy, Australia, Mexico, China, the UK, India and the US). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Independent-samples t-test. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to categorise groups of standards according to their perceived credibility. The findings reveal that country image exerts a significant influence on practitioners’ credibility assessments of food standards. Standards from the UK, Australia and the US were perceived as more credible than others. Based on the results of this study, we discuss some implications for food suppliers and policy makers.