Chinese consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for traceable food quality and safety attributes: The case of pork

A survey was conducted among 1489 consumers in seven pilot cities designated by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce for constructing a meat circulation traceability system.This study set four attributes for pork: traceability information, quality certification, appearance, and price. The preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) of consumers for traceability information, quality certification, appearance attributes, and influencing factors were investigated using choice experiments. According to results from both mixed logit and latent class models, quality certification was the most important characteristic, followed by appearance, and traceability information. “Government certification,” “very fresh-looking,” and “traceability information covering farming, slaughter and processing, circulation and marketing” were the most preferred levels of quality certification, appearance, and traceability information, respectively. Significant heterogeneity was observed in the consumer preferences for these attributes. The preferences and WTP of consumers for traceability information and quality certification were significantly influenced by age, monthly family income, and education level. •Chinese consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for food quality and safety attributes were studied using choice experiment method.•Levels of the attribute traceability information were set based on the major processes of safety risk in the Chinese pork supply chain, and for quality certification, domestic and international third-party certification was included in addition to government certification.•Quality certification was the most important characteristic for consumers. “Government certification”, “very fresh-looking”, and “traceability information covering farming, slaughter, and processing, and circulation and marketing” were the most preferred levels of quality certification, appearance, and traceability information, respectively.•Significant heterogeneity was observed in consumer preferences for the quality and safety attributes of pork. Consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for traceability information and quality certification were significantly influenced by age, monthly family income, and education level.