In our previous articles in this series, we have looked at the percentage of vegetarians in the U.S., Japan, and China, their age and income distributions, and what they look for in making purchases at the supermarket. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the differences between the three countries in terms of food consciousness.

If you would like to catch up on our previous articles, you can find them here:

• Vegetarians in the U.S., Japan, and China: A Three Country Survey
• Vegetarians in the U.S., Japan, and China | Part 2

What People Consider When Purchasing Food for Themselves

Daily Necessities (Cheese, Eggs, Butter, Yogurt, etc)

In the United States and Japan, price and manufacture/expiration dates were important factors for people. On the other hand, in China, while manufacture/expiration dates are important, items related to the health and safety of foods also ranked very high, including the ingredients, the number of calories or amount of sugar, or whether it is organic or not. In many cases, the numbers for China were often double that of Japan.

Carbohydrates (Bread, Rice, Pasta, Etc.)

Again, in Japan and the United States, price was the top concern for consumers. On the other hand, in China, production / harvesting methods and processing methods, were of great concern.

Vegetables

In Japan, price, the country of origin, and the origin of the ingredients all ranked highly when respondents were asked about vegetables. On the other hand, the country of origin or the origin of the ingredients seemed to not be a concern for many Americans. In China, the production / consume by date and whether it is organic or not were ranked highly for vegetables. This shows that, again, Chinese place great emphasis on food safety.

What People Consider When Purchasing Drinks for Themselves

Daily Necessities (Milk, Soy Milk, Etc.)

As with food items, when purchasing beverage items, it seems that both Japanese and Americans are most concerned about price, whereas Chinese are most interested in the production / consume by date. In addition, it is clear that items related to food safety, such as the origin of the ingredients organic status ranked higher in China than in other countries.

Alcoholic Beverages (Beer, Wine, Etc.)

As before, price was very important for Japanese and Americans. In addition, brand also plays an important role in alcoholic beverage purchase decisions. In China, again, production methods, ingredient origin and country of origin all play a much more prominent role than in other countries.

Survey Design

• Target Countries: USA, China, Japan
• Sample Size: Japan, 500; USA and China, 505
• Sampling Method: Internet Survey
• Target Population: General Consumers
• Survey Dates: August 22nd – 30th, 2022

Summary

Overall, price was the most important factor in both the U.S. and Japan, with similar answers being given across categories. On the other hand, in China, the most important factors seemed to be those related to food safety, such as production / consume by dates, country of origin, and processing methods, as well as health-related factors such as organic status.

Considering these results, it is clear that what people value when purchasing food can very greatly country by country. Additionally, if we were to look at the data for individual regions within each country, or broke it down by socioeconomic group, it is certain that we would see an assortment of trends.

During the course of this survey, we collected data about a wide variety of food and beverage categories beyond those listed above. If you are interested in these, please feel free to contact us.