The decision to buy genetically modified foods in China: what makes the difference?

Genetically modified (GM) food products have been commercialized and promoted in China. Despite assurances from the China Ministry of Agriculture that certified GM food products are safe to consume, most consumers are reluctant to purchase GM foods. Given the benefits of GM foods, this study investigates Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions and purchase behavior toward GM foods and the associated influential factors. The theory of planned behavior with the consumers’ demographics and product-related factors supports our study. Data were collected from 477 Chinese consumers across 26 provinces in China. The study uses binary logit regression and ordinal logit regression to estimate the relationship among variables. The results reveal that Chinese consumers’ awareness, products’ available information, trust in sellers, long product life, GM foods’ taste and consumers’ experience in buying GM food products are positively related to their willingness to buy GM foods. The number of family members, the habit of checking GM labels and a preference for nutrition value are associated with Chinese consumers’ lower intention to buy GM foods. We demonstrate that product variety and trust are two determinants that could change Chinese consumers’ attitudes toward buying GM foods. Our study contributes new insights into Chinese consumers’ decision to purchase GM foods at the national scale. We consider a wide range of factors not tested in previous studies. Further, the study’s findings provide a better understanding of consumers’ GM foods purchases and purchasing behavior toward the Chinese government and entrepreneurs.