Long-term effects of food safety incident: Example of Sanlu milk powder incident

The purpose of this study is to examine the long-term consumer response to food safety incidents. The Sanlu incident that broke out in 2008 offers us an example to discuss the long-term impact of the impact of the incident on consumption behavior. In 2018, a survey was distributed to consumers in selected regions. Probit and Tobit techniques are used to analyze the long-term effect of food safety incidents on consumers’ trust in various subjects through memory and cognition and how trust further influences their consumption behaviors. Results indicate that consumers showed the highest level of trust in the central government and the lowest in domestic salespeople and producers. The effects caused by trust in foreign producers were more significant than those caused by trust in authorities and the central government. Additionally, the middle-income group preferred to buy domestic milk powder the most. Little research has explored the long-term consumer response to food safety incidents. This study enriches the previous literature by exploring whether consumer choices can be influenced by trust and how.