Table 4 List of observable variables

Awareness of the dangers of food additives

Q13-4

Agricultural chemicals and food additives are more dangerous than contamination by microorganisms or naturally occurring toxins.

Q14-7

Chemicals listed on food labels (such as calcium carbonate and copper sulfate) cause me worry.

Q16

Rank the following risk factors (A ~ E) that are believed to affect human health in order of their risk, starting with the factor representing the highest risk: A. Unbalanced nutrition B. Naturally occurring toxins C. Toxins from microorganisms D. Food additives or residual agricultural chemicals E. Environmental contaminants such as acid rain and dioxins (We indicated the score of “Food additives or residual agricultural chemicals,” which adjusted the scores so that the factor with the highest risk receives a score of “5” and that with the lowest risk receives a score of “1.”

Knowledge of wine

Q1

Circle the answer that best describes the frequency with which you drink wine: (5) Almost every day, (4) Several times a week, (3) Once a week, (2) Several times a month, (1) Several times a year.

Q6-2

I know about the AOC system under which French wines are regulated.

Q15-11

Antioxidants need to be added to produce high quality wine.

Knowledge of food processing

Q13-8

It is safer to avoid beef from Miyazaki prefecture, where there was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Q15-3

If the product is vacuum sealed, microorganisms cannot grow.

Q15-4

The fresher the meat, the tastier it is.

Conformity with others

Q14-9

When I don’t have much information about a product, I sometimes just buy the most popular product.

Q14-11

The popularity or scarcity of a product (such as edible chili oil) increases my desire to buy the product.

Low need for cognition

Q14-1

Rather than knowing the reason for a certain answer, it is better to simply know the answer.

Q14-2

I avoid situations that require deep thinking.

Q14-5

When reading the newspaper, I skip over articles that I’m not so interested in.

Preference for antioxidant-free wine

Q13-13

Because the everyday wine that I drink on a regular basis is not stored for long periods of time, there is no need for antioxidant additives.

Q13-14

Antioxidant additive-free wine is safer than wine to which antioxidants have been added

Q13-15

I want manufacturers to continue to develop more health safety-conscious food products such as antioxidant additive-free wine.

Excessive concern for food safety

Q13-5

Natural products are safer than artificial products.

Q13-7

Japanese products are of the highest quality in the world.

Q13-12

I would like to see the introduction of a traceability system for beef and various other food products.