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

This study provides a deep insight into Chinese consumer trust in the dairy value chain, as lack of due to 2008 melamine scandal has been widely recognized barrier development domestic industry China. Based on face-to-face interviews with 954 consumers Beijing, Shanghai, and Shijiazhuang, this measured farmers, manufacturers, retailers, government, third parties. Consumer was studied by measuring effect beliefs trustworthiness actors (i.e., competence, benevolence, integrity, credibility, openness), current experiences regarding media. The results showed that level chain varied. government parties were relatively highly trusted, whereas retailers considered less trustworthy. importance about are different among actors. belief competence determines farmers manufacturers. For parties, respectively, openness most important factors. Trust is still strongly negatively affected scandal, even though it occurred more than 10 years ago. Using social media directly provide information establish continuous daily communication could help manufacturers strengthen trust.