Analysing consumer behavioural intention on sustainable organic food products

Abstract

Population growth and improved global incomes have driven a significant increase in the production and consumption of food. Food consumption is known to have significant impacts on public health, individualities, and the environment and most importantly, food consumption is linked to environmental challenges like heightened pollution, scarcity of water, and CO2 emissions always been faced with grave environmental concerns and a massive surge in food intake assumes great significance. Consumers have a responsibility to protect the environment by choosing environmentally friendly products similar to organic food. This study modifies the TPB to model the consumer behavioural intention for organic food, using environmental concern, perceived value, and consumer familiarity as determinants. In the following, we explain how these well-established concepts are related to the three original constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The results of this study show that environmental concern, consumer perceived value of the product, and consumer familiarity (direct experience) with the product have a positive and significant effect on consumer behavioural intention for sustainable organic foods. In particular, this study finds that consumer environmental concern is the strongest predictor of purchase intention. This suggests that, in a sustainable organic food context, high levels of consumers' environmental concern increased their intention to purchase organic foods. Therefore, if a consumer is more concerned about environmental issues, the consumer will show a stronger intention to purchase sustainable organic food compared to consumers with lower environmental concerns.