Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Country-of-Origin (COO), usually recognised as the “made-in” label, has been extensively studied since the 1960s. COO labelling on food products is commonplace worldwide so as to facilitate informed purchasing decisions and promote trust in a time of frequent food recalls and safety incidents. However, the increasingly globalised food provision and consumption has made COO weak in signalling multiple country affiliations and thus created confusion in consumers. Based on an empirical investigation of consumer trust after food incidents, an integrated framework of COO, which covers the global food process from the farm to the table, from country-of-ingredients to country-of-consumption, is proposed to address the above-mentioned gap between lagged theory and changing food practice. The institutional regulative power of involved countries is also found essential in building consumer trust in food through COO cues. The proposed framework will advance theoretical understanding of COO and better inform business practice in the food sector.