Consumer Knowledge and Attitudes towards Food Traceability: A Comparison between the European Union, China and North America

The objective of this paper is to investigate recent findings on consumer knowledge and attitudes towards food traceability across the European Union (EU), China, and North America. A critical review of academic articles published between 2003 and 2013 was performed and a total of sixteen studies were selected. Results indicated that consumers are paying increasingly attention to food safety and quality but they are still unfamiliar with the concept of traceability, especially in China. Willingness to pay (WTP) for food safety differs across countries and segments of population. Age, education, income and food safety concerns are the factors that mostly influence consumer acceptance of traceability and its attributes. Both producers and policy makers should work together to increase consumer awareness about the benefits offered by Food Traceability Systems