Study On Demand For Food Information

In China significant progress had been achieved in food development as part of improving people's living conditions in a balanced society. Consequently food technological information has exerted increasing influence on consumption, production and management. As new ideas had kept emerging in food development, the demands for food information had become a new research topic in the sustainable development of food.The thesis tentatively examined the demand for food information and the flexibility of price for food information. Based on the criteria and methods of classification of food information, the author arranged systematically in detail the types of demands for food information while outlining the overall basic characteristics of demands for food information. The thesis made an initial theoretical analysis of the estimate of the flexibility of price for food information and classification. It also included a concrete analysis of the classification and character of the demand for food according to the demands from different people groups. A summary was made concerning food consumers, food production, management and the characteristics of demands for food information regarding consumers, producers and the institutions of food management.On the basis of the careful analysis of the abstract theory and research, the thesis also made qualitative analysis of the factors affecting the demands for food information. The author came to the conclusion that three factors had direct impact on economy, science and technology and society. Acting on the questionnaire, collected data in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, the author also made a substantial analysis of the consumers and producers respectively. The results were as follows: At present, food consumers were reluctant to pay for technical food information while the companies were willing to pay certain amount of money taking into account their own interests. Furthermore, the management institutions and research institutes thought the time had not come yet to treat food information as a payable commodity. Last but not the least, taking the consumers as an example, the author made a regression model related to demand for food information. Based on the model, in conclusion, the ratio of cost that consumers were willing to pay for the technical food information to total food expense was obviously shown in reverse linear equations with their reliability on food information as well as the judgment of informatization impact on China's food development. And some possible measures were to be taken and suggestions were raised to meet food information requirements of China and the goal of sharing of food information could be realized.