TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose Consumers’ trust in food systems is essential to their functioning and to consumers’ well-being. However, the literature exploring how food safety incidents impact consumer trust is theoretically underdeveloped. This study explores the relationship between consumers’ expectations of the food system and its actors (regulators, food industry and the media) and how these influence trust-related judgements that consumers make during a food safety incident.Design/methodology/approach In this study, two groups of purposefully sampled Australian participants (n = 15) spent one day engaged in qualitative public deliberation to discuss unfolding food incident scenarios. Group discussion was audio recorded and transcribed for the analysis. Facilitated group discussion included participants' expected behaviour in response to the scenario and their perceptions of actors' actions described within the scenario, particularly their trust responses (an increase, decrease or no change in their trust in the food system) and justification for these.Findings The findings of the study indicated that food incident features and unique consumer characteristics, particularly their expectations of the food system, interacted to form each participant's individual trust response to the scenario. Consumer expectations were delineated into “fundamental” and “anticipatory” expectations. Whether fundamental and anticipatory expectations were in alignment was central to the trust response. Experiences with the food system and its actors during business as usual contributed to forming anticipatory expectations.Originality/value To ensure that food incidents do not undermine consumer trust in food systems, food system actors must not only demonstrate competent management of the incident but also prioritise trustworthiness during business as usual to ensure that anticipatory expectations held by consumers are positive.
VL  - 123
IS  - 2
SN  - 0007-070X
DO  - 10.1108/BFJ-05-2020-0394
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2020-0394
AU  - Tonkin Emma
AU  - Henderson Julie
AU  - Meyer Samantha B.
AU  - Coveney John
AU  - Ward Paul R.
AU  - McCullum Dean
AU  - Webb Trevor
AU  - Wilson Annabelle M.
PY  - 2020
Y1  - 2020/01/01
TI  - Expectations and everyday opportunities for building trust in the food system
T2  - British Food Journal
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 702
EP  - 719
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -