Effects of dietary restraint on perceived healthfulness and purchase intention: the moderating effects of source credibility and product label

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigates how labeling genetically modified (GM) food influences the perceptions and purchasing intentions of dietary-restrained consumers. The research is based on varying product labels (GM vs. non-GM) and source credibility (low vs. high). Utilizing a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design, the study reveals that individuals with higher dietary restraint associate greater perceived healthfulness with food labels. Furthermore, this perception increases their intent to purchase products across all combinations of source credibility and GM status. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, there was no significant difference in the purchase intent for non-GM products from a low-credibility source compared to GM products from the same source. However, the purchase intent was higher for GM products from a low-credibility source than from a high-credibility source, and for non-GM products from a high-credibility source compared to GM products from the same source.