Credence and the effect on consumer liking of food – A review

Abstract

Credence characteristics play an important role in the modern food marketing system. Consumers' food choices are increasingly influenced by credence cues, as other links of trust and direct relations with the producers have vanished within the globalised food system. Labels and information signalling credence are thus important search attributes. While credence cues cannot be accurately evaluated by consumers, the expectations they generate have an effect on consumers' perceived quality and sensory experiences. This paper reviews relevant literature from the period 2003-2012 and summarises research concerning the effect of credence cues on consumers' hedonic liking of food. A conceptual model based on a framework of consumers' quality perception process is presented and applied. Seven main categories of credence characteristics can be identified in the literature: a) health; b) organic food; c) origin; d) brand; e) production methods; f) ethics; and g) descriptive food names and ingredients. Theoretical and practical limitations and possible trajectories to future research are discussed.

Branding, Ingredients and Nutrition Information: Consumer Liking of a Healthier Snack

“…Azzurra and Paola (2009) reported that mature people aged ≥ 35 years with higher level of education were particularly interested in health-related features of nutrition and foods. However in some studies, no association between health interest and consciousness and the hedonic ratings has been demonstrated (Fernqvist & Ekelund, 2014). Although interindividual variation in responses was high, there is some evidence that age and ethnicity of participants influenced liking in this study.…”

“…Consumer trust and loyalty enhance consumer perceived value of a food product (Kapferer, 2004). However, which part of brand generates consumers' beliefs is not fully clear (Fernqvist & Ekelund, 2014). While healthiness is important, the taste of a food still remains a higher priority for consumers: consumers purchase intent is mainly influenced by taste and price.…”

“…However, taste appeal, sustainable ingredients and valid health claims are challenges for successful marketing of healthier food products. While taste is the most important factor for consumer perception in general (Fernqvist & Ekelund, 2014), healthiness is suggested to be another factor which influences consumers' choice (Roininen, Lähteenmäki & Tourila, 1999;Provencher, Polivy, & Herman, 2009;Carillo, Varela, Salvador, & Fiszman, 2011). Extrinsic product factors, such as region of origin of a wine can influence consumer perception (Mueller & Szolnoki, 2010).…”

Potentials and Limitations of Regional Organic Food Supply: A Qualitative Analysis of Two Food Chain Types in the Berlin Metropolitan Region

“…Consumer behaviour and purchasing decisions for organic regional food and the willingness to pay are influenced by socio-economic factors. Income, education, awareness, motivation, and the attitude towards or feeling of belonging to a region are all relevant determinants [65][66][67]. Several studies have shown that consumers are willing to pay higher prices for regional (organic) compared to conventional food [36,63].…”

Exploring the potential of an Andean fruit : an interdisciplinary study on the cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) value chain

“…organic production, health-promoting compounds contents) [74,75]. In general, in globalised food products there is a shift of quality attributes preferences of products from search to experience and credence attributes [270]. This further increases complexity of the value chain through a potential scale up process because aside of an increased number of interactions (number of transactions and amount of product to trade, the number and nature of quality attributes also may rise, increasing the uncertainty in the value chain [269,268] represented by the likelihood of lack of knowledge along the chain [263,74].…”