This study examined the preferences of urban Chinese consumers for mung beans through a survey conducted in three major cities. Using the concept of food values and the best-worst scaling (BWS) approach, the findings highlight safety, nutrition, naturalness, and taste as key drivers of mung bean purchases. Latent class (LC) analysis further identified three distinct consumer segments: Class 1 placed the strongest emphasis on environment, followed by safety and nutrition; Class 2 prioritized safety, regardless of price; and Class 3 required both healthfulness (reflected in safety and nutrition) and good taste for a product to be selected.