The Effects of Trust in Food Label Information and Negative Emotions about Food on Safety Behavior among Adult South Korean Consumers

This study set out to investigate the effects of consumers’ emotions about food safety and their trust in food labeling as one of the government policies affecting safety behavior. It is found that consumers’ trust in label information and their negative emotions turned out to be important factors influencing their food safety behaviors. In addition, their food safety attitudes and negative emotions turned out to have huge impacts on their food safety behavior. Substantial levels of negative emotions and label checking behaviors were also reported. The findings raised a need for the government to manage and monitor food label information in a regular and efficient manner, develop an effective labeling system, and identify factors to control consumers’ negative emotions.