Consumer Preferences and Willingness to Pay for High-Quality Vegetable Oils: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Chinese Residents.

The consumption of edible vegetable oil is an important source of essential fatty acids and vitamin E for the human body. Guiding residents to consume scientifically and reasonably control the intake of edible oils is an important part of promoting the construction of a healthy China. Currently, Chinese residents have an insufficient understanding of the scientific consumption of edible oils, leading to an intake exceeding the dietary recommendations, resulting in excessive fat intake and increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), this study analyzed the cognitive preferences and willingness to pay a premium for edible vegetable oils among urban consumers in China. The survey included 1098 Chinese urban consumers of vegetable oils. The research found that attitudes, health value, monetary value, and environmental endowment of urban residents are the main predicting factors of the intention to purchase high-quality vegetable oils. This study confirms the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in the consumption of high-quality vegetable oils and provides theoretical contributions and insights for Chinese enterprises and policymakers in formulating marketing strategies for vegetable oils.

Chinese consumers' psychology and behavior of the foods with nutrition claims based on AISAS model.

Objective: We analyzed the impact of nutrition claims on Chinese consumer psychology and behavior process based on the theoretical framework of AISAS (Attention-Interest-Search-Action-Share) model. Design: To adopt questionnaires to collect gender, age, income and other basic information of adult residents and a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) to collect data on residents' attention to nutrition claims, interest in nutrition claims, search on nutrition claim information, purchasing behavior on food with nutrition claims, sharing information on food with nutrition claims. Then to study the relationship between the basic situation of residents and their attention, interest, search, food purchase behavior and sharing of nutrition claims by using exploratory factor analysis, reliability and validity test, structural equation modeling estimation and hypothesis testing. Participants: Chinese adults. Setting: Multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used to collect the valid online questionnaire of 630 Chinese adults from Central, North, East, South, Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast China. Results: Younger adults and those with higher household incomes exhibited heightened attention to nutrition claims. Furthermore, consumers' attention to nutrition claims could be transformed into food information sharing through interest, information search, and food purchase. Consumers' interest in food with nutrition claims could be transformed directly into food purchase. Consumers' search for related information could be directly transformed into food information sharing. Conclusion: Chinese consumers' age and household income could be included in the AISAS model for the foods with nutrition claims, and the consumers' action and share could transform from their interest and search.

Chinese Adults' Willingness to Pay for Mandatory Nutrients Reporting on Nutrition Facts Table.

The Chinese food industry has opposed the mandatory inclusion of increased nutrients in the Nutrition Facts Table (NFT), thus impeding its improvement. This poses a challenge to the endeavors aiming to assist consumers in cultivating healthy dietary habits that incorporate reduced saturated fatty acids and added sugars while ensuring the adequate intake of essential micronutrients. This study conducted a choice experiment to investigate Chinese consumers' preference for updated labeling schemes among 630 adults that were randomly selected from Central, North, East, South, Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast China. It revealed that respondents were willing to pay the highest premium for the most mandatory nutrients (22.575% of the food price per unit). Respondents preferred the NFT with the most mandatory nutrients if they met the following population characteristics: female; non-overweight or obese; without a college degree; possessed an annual household disposable income between 50,000 and 99,999 CNY; from North China; lived in rural areas and often cooked for family; cared about food nutrition. Two combinations of NFT information received the highest preference: (1) the NFT detailing the most mandatory nutrients and their content values and nutrient reference values (NRV%); (2) the NFT containing the most nutrients and the nutrients in 100 g/mL or a serving. The first and second combinations attracted a premium of 14.884% and 31.833% of the food price per unit, respectively.

Chinese Consumers' Heterogeneous Preferences for the Front-of-Package Labeling on Fresh Pork: A Choice Experiment Approach.

Excessive average daily pork intake of Chinese residents increases the risk of obesity and related chronic diseases. Understanding consumers' preference for the Front-of-Package (FOP) labeling on fresh pork is of practical significance for designing an FOP labeling scheme that meets market demand and effectively guides moderate pork consumption. This study used the conditional logit model to reveal the stated preferences of 930 nationally representative respondents in China for FOP labeling attributes elicited by a choice experiment approach. The results indicated that respondents preferred the nutritional information to be printed in Chinese characters, the label size to be a quarter of the front package surface, the label color to be green, and the label price to account for 10% of the retail price of 500 g standard fresh pork. Moreover, these preferences were heterogeneous across the sample population due to respondents' different levels of education and trust in labeling. People with primary and junior high school education preferred nutritional information in Chinese characters, while those with junior high education and above preferred green labeling. The higher the respondents' trust in the labeling, the stronger their willingness to accept the appropriate FOP labeling price. Information campaigns and educational programs can be used to increase the acceptance of FOP labelling, particularly among consumers with low education levels and distrust of FOP labeling.

Environmental regulation and ESG of SMEs in China: Porter hypothesis re-tested.

We examined the policy impact on the environmental and economic performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which is understudied in the literature. Using the Chinese National Private Firm Biannual Survey data from 2006 to 2014 for empirical testing, we found evidence for the positive effects of environmental regulation on firm environmental investment (weak Porter hypothesis) and predictive power of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors for firm profitability. Particularly, resources allocated for fulfilling social responsibilities (both internal and external) contribute to firm profitability, and firm owners/managers' membership with the Federation of Industry and Commerce and involvement in firm decision-making both are profit-enhancing but hindering environmental investment. Besides offering a large-N evaluative study of regulatory impact on SMEs, the results can also inform regulators and/or investors of screening strategies in engaging SMEs in sustainability transition, which has implications for both the success of the regulatory regime and the advancement of environmental and social wellbeing.

Determinants of Nutrition Facts Table Use by Chinese Consumers for Nutritional Value Comparisons.

The nutrition facts table is a nutrition labeling tool designed to inform consumers of food nutritional contents and enable them to make healthier choices by comparing the nutritional values of similar foods. However, its adoption level is considerably low in China. This study employed the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) algorithm to explore the factors associated with respondents' adoption of nutrition facts table to compare the nutritional values of similar foods. Data were gathered through a nationally representative online survey of 1500 samples. Results suggested that consumers' comprehension of the nutrition facts table was a direct explanatory factor for its use. The usage was also indirectly explained by people's nutrition knowledge, the usage of nutrition facts table by their relatives and friends, and their focus on a healthy diet. Therefore, to increase the use of nutrition facts table by Chinese consumers, the first consideration should be given to enhancing consumers' comprehension of the labeling.

Regional Distribution of Non-human H7N9 Avian Influenza Virus Detections in China and Construction of a Predictive Model.

INTRODUCTION: H7N9 avian influenza has broken out in Chinese poultry 10 times since 2013 and impacted the industry severely. Although the epidemic is currently under control, there is still a latent threat. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Epidemiological surveillance data for non-human H7N9 avian influenza from April 2013 to April 2020 were used to analyse the regional distribution and spatial correlations of positivity rates in different months and years and before and after comprehensive immunisation. In addition, positivity rate monitoring data were disaggregated into a low-frequency and a high-frequency trend sequence by wavelet packet decomposition (WPD). The particle swarm optimisation algorithm was adopted to optimise the least squares support-vector machine (LS-SVM) model parameters to predict the low-frequency trend sequence, and the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was used to predict the high-frequency one. Ultimately, an LS-SVM-ARIMA combined model based on WPD was constructed. RESULTS: The virus positivity rate was the highest in late spring and early summer, and overall it fell significantly after comprehensive immunisation. Except for the year 2015 and the single month of December from 2013 to 2020, there was no significant spatiotemporal clustering in cumulative non-human H7N9 avian influenza virus detections. Compared with the ARIMA and LS-SVM models, the LS-SVM-ARIMA combined model based on WPD had the highest prediction accuracy. The mean absolute and root mean square errors were 2.4% and 2.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Low error measures prove the validity of this new prediction method and the combined model could be used for inference of future H7N9 avian influenza virus cases. Live poultry markets should be closed in late spring and early summer, and comprehensive H7N9 immunisation continued.

Analysis of Chinese Consumers' Nutrition Facts Table Use Behavior Based on Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Model.

The nutrition facts table is a nutrition labeling tool designed to help consumers understand the nutritional content of food and make informed food choices. However, the utilization rate of the nutrition facts table has been low in China since its introduction in 2013. This study employed structural equation modeling to investigate consumers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the nutrition facts table by using an online survey of 930 valid samples from 31 provinces in China based on the knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) model. The analysis revealed that most respondents had a positive attitude, but not a good level of knowledge or practice in their use of the labeling. Respondents' knowledge about the nutrition facts table directly affected their attitude, through which it could then affect their practice, whereas knowledge played an indirect role in nutrition labeling use. The results confirmed that the KAP model is suitable for explaining consumers' use of nutrition labels in China, and that the first step to promoting labeling usage is to enrich consumers' knowledge on the nutrition facts table.

The Relationship between Nutrition Knowledge and Nutrition Facts Table Use in China: A Structural Equation Model.

Since 2013, China has implemented a nutrition label regulation that aims to provide essential nutrition information through nutrition facts tables labeled on the back of food packages. Yet, the relationship between people's nutrition knowledge and their nutrition label use remains less clear. This study adopted the structural equation modeling approach to analyze a nationally representative survey of 1500 Chinese individuals through the cognitive processing model, interrelated nutrition knowledge, attention to nutrition information on the nutrition facts table, comprehension of nutrition information, food choice and dietary intake. It was found that nutrition knowledge positively influenced attention to nutrition information; a better comprehension of nutrition information, which could benefit healthier food choices, did not relate to a higher level of attention to that information; dietary intake was affected significantly by nutrition knowledge, but it had little impact on food choice. The results signify that nutrition knowledge hardly supports nutrition facts table use among the Chinese people, mainly due to incomprehensible labeled information. Therefore, it emphasizes the need to enhance people's comprehension through front-of-package labels and corresponding smartphone applications.

Factors Affecting Salt Reduction Measure Adoption among Chinese Residents.

China has the highest mortality rate caused by diseases and conditions associated with its high-salt diet. Since 2016, China has initiated a national salt reduction campaign that aims at promoting the usage of salt information on food labels and salt-restriction spoons and reducing condiment and pickled food intake. However, factors affecting individuals' decisions to adopt these salt reduction measures remain largely unknown. By comparing the performances of logistic regression, stepwise logistic regression, lasso logistic regression and adaptive lasso logistic regression, this study aims to fill this gap by analyzing the adoption behaviour of 1610 individuals from a nationally representative online survey. It was found that the practices were far from adopted and only 26.40%, 22.98%, 33.54% and 37.20% reported the adoption of labelled salt information, salt-restriction spoons, reduced condiment use in home cooking and reduced pickled food intake, respectively. Knowledge on salt, the perceived benefits of salt reduction, participation in nutrition education and training programs on sodium reduction were positively associated with using salt information labels. Adoption of the other measures was largely explained by people's awareness of hypertension risks and taste preferences. It is therefore recommended that policy interventions should enhance Chinese individuals' knowledge of salt, raise the awareness of the benefits associated with a low-salt diet and the risks associated with consuming excessive salt and reshape their taste choices.

Effects of Low-Calorie Nutrition Claim on Consumption of Packaged Food in China: An Application of the Model of Consumer Behavior.

More and more packaged products in China have been labeled as low-calorie products since the official implementation of nutrition claims in 2007. But little was known about the impact of such claims on the Chinese consumption of low-calorie food on the background of increasing rates of obesity among the Chinese population. This study sought to fill the gap by applying a consumer behavior model to a nationally representative online survey by means of structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that nutrition claims significantly affect the consumption of low-calorie products. Specifically, marketing stimulus on low-calorie products first affected consumer psychology, then consumer decision-making, and finally consumer responses. Despite the significant role of consumer psychology and decision-making in consumption, consumers were susceptible to the influence of targeted marketing strategies for foods with a low-calorie claim. It is recommended that appropriate use of low-calorie nutrition claims by manufacturers and choices of low-calorie food by consumers according to their own needs should be encouraged.

Chinese farmers' willingness to accept compensation to practice safe disposal of HPAI infected chicken.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a high morbidity and mortality zoonotic disease, which threatens poultry and human health. An outbreak of disease in China requires strict slaughter and disposal of all chickens within a three-kilometer radius, incurring large private costs for farmers and encouraging black market transactions. A stated preference survey of 331 farmers across six provinces in China was conducted in 2015, in order to measure the responsiveness of farmers to accept various compensation prices for safely disposing of HPAI infected chicken. Findings suggest that about 25% and 40% of farmers in South and North China respectively would not adopt safe disposal at the current compensation price (10 yuan/bird) offered by the government. However, 80% of farmers would adopt safe disposal if the compensation price increased to 14.1 yuan in South China and 18.9 yuan in North China. The adoption of safe disposal by farmers was positively and significantly influenced by compensation price (p=0.000) and regular contact with epidemic prevention staff (p=0.094). However, adoption was negatively and significantly influenced by net farm income (p=0.100) and chicken production income percentage (p=0.014). Although half of (51%) of farmers were willing to receive zero compensation, a reasonable compensation scheme along with strengthened supervision, may be considered the most effective strategy to encourage safe disposal of HPAI infected chicken and reduce the risks associated with black market transactions.

Assessment of China's H5N1 routine vaccination strategy.

In this study, a simulation model was used to assess the epidemiological and economic impacts of the routine vaccination strategy for H5N1 in China at the national level. The results of the simulation show that a routine vaccination strategy at the national level could have a substantial impact on decreasing H5N1 outbreaks; it could therefore markedly reduce the severity and duration of an H5N1 epidemic at the national level in China. Under a routine vaccination programme, when a flock is infected, the number of depopulated birds could be reduced by approximately 91%, the outbreak duration could be reduced by one-fourth, and the probability of an H5N1 outbreak could be reduced to 51.5%. Although the use of vaccination has obvious benefits, if indirect costs were not considered, the mean direct cost of simulated disease control without vaccination was only 1.36% of the cost of the routine vaccination strategy, and this former approach would have saved 57 billion yuan for all poultry in China from 2004 to 2012. Traditional H5N1 control strategies with culling programmes at the national level represented a better choice for China.

Factors affecting Chinese broiler farmers' main preventive practices in response to highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Preventive practices are highly important in response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). As biosecurity guidelines, HPAI vaccination, antiviral medication, farm cleaning and disinfection jointly focus on mitigating the risk of infectious pathogen spread, yet much less is known about the association between broiler farmer's socio-economic characteristics and their adoption decision of these preventive practices. The current study aims to bridge this gap using a nationally representative household survey of 331 Chinese chicken farm owners, among whom the practices are far from fully adopted (only 58% of the farmers adopt all four types). Discrete choice modeling reveals that farmer's gender, age, education, perceived disease impact, farming experience, breeding density, chicken feed conversion ratio, chicken daily weight gain, available service, and subsidy are playing important roles in adoption decision making. Moreover, farmers with husbandry and veterinary knowledge, longer farming experience and lower feed conversion ratios tend to adopt all preventive practices, whereas farmers with larger proportions of income coming from chicken farming tend not to.