Green food consumption intention, behaviors and influencing factors among Chinese consumers

Abstract

Green food consumption can guarantee the life quality of consumers as well as promote green food production. However, green food consumption is not an easy task which needs governmental policies, consumers’ environmental value, and convenient channels. This paper aims to examine how to promote green food consumption intention and in the end bring real green food consumption behaviors by using samples of 457 Chinese consumers. Based on the theory of planned behavior, we develop a conceptual model which proposes that internal influencing factors of consumers mediate the relationships between external influencing factors and green food consumption intention while context factors such as purchasing convenience moderate the relationships between green food consumption intention and behaviors. Hierarchical regression results show that promotion/diffusion can bring green food consumption intention but environmental value of consumers is needed. Purchasing convenience can promote green food consumption intention to become real green food consumption behaviors but it is not convenient to buy green food in China yet. Education affects green food consumption intention and family income decides if green food consumption intention can really bring green food consumption behaviors. We conclude that Chinese governments should strengthen supervision of green food production and labeling systems as well as develop more channels to improve environmental value of consumers. With more convenient purchasing channels and increasing incomes of consumers, green food consumption intention can more likely bring green food consumption behaviors.