Construction and validation of a scale to measure consumers knowledge of food processing and acceptance of processed food.

Negative impressions related to food processing can compromise consumer acceptance. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate a tool to assess consumer knowledge and acceptance of food processing. Semantic evaluation was performed with a lay public (n=13). Experts with experience in the area (n=9) participated in the content validation and semantic evaluation, using the Delphi Technique. Overall, there was strong agreement between the judges (Gwet's AC2 = 0.96 [clarity] and 0.81 [relevance]), with Fleiss Kappa equivalent to 0.78, indicating almost perfect agreement. After these phases, the instrument that totaled 37 items approved (W > 0.8) was applied for validation among Brazilian consumers (n = 200). An exploratory factor analysis offered a six-factor solution. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index found was 0.90. The Bartlett Sphericity Test was statistically significant (p<0.001). The final instrument contained 34 items. The calculated Cronbach's Alpha was 0.92, indicating an excellent reliability. The developed Consumers Knowledge of Food Processing and Acceptance of Processed Food (CKAFPAPF) was consistently validated and has proven to be a tool that can help identify information asymmetries, allowing the development of strategies that help consumers to have the correct information to make their food choices more consciously.