Consumer's Cognition Of Food Quality Signals And Its Analysis Of Its Factors

Food is the people's daily necessity, with the development of science and technology, chemicals, additives, biotechnology are used in the process of food production, and even the economic globalization extends the food supply chain. Food security quality characteristics of credence can not be directly identified or verified or under the control of other factors, it is difficult for consumers to make accurate assessment of the quality. Then this will lead to get the asymmetric information, incidents in food security occur frequently, which have great harm for people's health. Although the States have adopted a series of measures to solve the food safety problem technologically, economically, managerially, the incidents in food security still happen, the situation of food security is unoptimistic.Quality signal alleviates the asymmetric information, the important role of the quality signal is based on the premise that consumers can accept and endorse the intrinsic value of that signals, in order to improve the demonstration effect of quality signal, to reduce the asymmetric information, to solve the food safety problems, in addition to induce manufacturers send signal quality actively, we need to get further understanding of consumers' awareness and acceptance of the quality signal, and of the factors affecting the consumers' awareness of those signals. Therefore, this research, based on theory analysis through questionnaire survey of 388 consumers in Wuhan from the consumer's point of view, analyzes consumers' cognition of food quality signal, and makes a quantitative analysis of the factors that impact the customers' cognition empirically. It provides basis for the effective transmission of food quality signal, for setting up the reasonable quality marketing and the quality signal demonstration strategy for the manufactures, as well as improving the operating performance of the market access system for the government.(1) The consumers' cognition of food quality certification signal is not high. Of the six quality certification signal, the "green food" and "pollution-free food" are cognized and accepted well by the citizens. The customers with different characteristics in age, income, education vary in the level of the acceptance of the different quality certificate signal. Especially the level of education and income affect consumers' cognition of the certification signal.(2) The market access sign QS may transmit the most basic quality security information to the consumer, has the signal demonstration function. In the purchase of dairy products, children's food and beverages, consumers make use of market access sign on the higher degree. Education, awareness and confidence of market access signs, and the habit of purchasing products that have passed the assessment of the quality have significant impact on the use of market access signs, and even have the positive relations. (3) Consumers' use of reputation signals is higher above than those of quality certification signal, and consumers of different characteristics differ in the use of reputation signal and certification signal.(4)The influences on the customers' use of the reputation and certification signals vary concerning the factors such as age, education, income, concern on the attributes of food safety quality, the degree of the confidence in certification and the evaluation of status of food safety.