A Study On The Explicit And Implicit Attitude Of Safe Food And Problematic Food

With the rapid development of science and technology nowadays, many businesses have learned the use of advanced technology to reduce costs. Additives abuse and food fraud have been used as effective ways to reduce cost to some unscrupulous businessmen. Since outbreak in tainted milk incident in September2008, public concern on food safety issues have been aroused. In this background, research on consumer’s attitude towards food is necessary.This study combined traditional experimental method and exploratory imagery research method. The two studies were included as below:Study1purposed to investigate subjects’ explicit attitude and implicit attitude towards safe food and unsafe food, as well as the relationship between explicit attitude and implicit attitude both. Scale method was used to acquire explicit attitude, and implicit association test was used to find implicit attitude.Study2attempted to use empirical methods to explore the relationship between animal imagery and food security. In study two, subjects were asked to imagine the safe or unsafe food to an animal. Through the animal imagery, we were able to better understand subjects’ attitudes towards safe food and unsafe food at unconscious level. Study2is an exploratory attempt.The results of this study showed that:(1) Subjects held more positive explicit attitudes towards safe food;(2) There was no significant difference in implicit attitudes towards safe food and unsafe food;(3) There was no significant correlation between explicit attitude and implicit attitude towards safe food and unsafe food;(4) Top ten animal imageries to describe safe food were:rabbit, dog, fish, pig, cat, chicken, bird, frog, cow and horse. While top ten animal imageries to describe unsafe food were:snake, rat, pig, dragon, insect, dog, cockroach, frog, fly and chicken;(5) Rabbit, fish, bird, cat, cattle, horse and panda imagery significantly related to safe food, while dragon, snake, worm and mouse imagery significantly related to unsafe food. Dog, pig, chicken and wolf could describe both safe and unsafe food.