Effect of Production Process and Attitudes on the Intent to Buy Sustainable Beef

Abstract

Previous studies on food consumption explore limited dimensions of the sustainable food production process. A model of consumer concern over the agricultural production process was developed to assess the influence of environmental attitudes, product involvement, and brand equity on the intent to buy sustainable beef. Interviews with experts, two focus groups, and a literature review were used to propose a scale for production process concerns. A survey of 725 beef consumers was conducted to test eight hypotheses. Results suggest that product involvement and concerns over the production process are related to attitude towards the environment and intent to buy sustainable beef. Moreover, as a result, the consumer bears a positive attitude towards sustainable consumption and is more likely to buy a sustainable product. Meanwhile, the rejected hypothesis refers to the relationship between brand equity and purchase intention. This new conceptual model may be validated with other food commodities.