COVID-19 Induced Stigmas of Imported Cold-Chain Food Among Chinese Consumers: Multi-Round Tracking Surveys

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted the global food supply chain, concurrently eroding consumer trust in imported food products. We conducted multi-round tracking surveys of Chinese consumers nationwide in December 2020 and January, March, April, May, July, and October 2021 to examine the stigmas induced by COVID-19 on imported cold-chain food. Results revealed that COVID-19 has induced a long-lasting stigma of imported cold-chain food among Chinese consumers. The mean willingness to pay for beef steak from the U.S., Australia, and Brazil decreased by about 4 yuan, 3 yuan, and 3 yuan, respectively, compared to that for the corresponding product before the pandemic. The results also showed that respondents' risk perception of imported cold-chain food decreased slightly in the short term and then stayed at a high level. Elderly consumers and those with children were more likely to perceive a high risk of imported cold-chain food associated with COVID-19. Our results indicated that the stigmas of imported cold-chain food caused by COVID-19 persistently impacted consumer food behavior. Identifying ways to recover consumer trust in imported food is essential to boost consumer demand with the recovery of the global food supply chain.