Nudge Framing’ s Influence on Suboptimal Food Purchase Intentions: The Mediating Role of Moral Engagement

Abstract

Currently, food waste imposes substantial adverse effects on the economy, society, and environment, with surplus food sales playing a major role in this wastage. Surplus food, despite its safety and quality parallels with regular food, suffers from low consumer awareness. Research indicates that nudging frameworks can improve intervention efficacy, prompting individuals to alter their preference selections. Previous studies have neglected to explore the impact mechanisms of individual and social nudging frameworks on the willingness to purchase surplus food, indicating a need for further inquiry. This study delves into the influence of individual and social nudging frameworks on consumers’ willingness to buy surplus food. Experimental validation illustrates that social norm-based nudges, in comparison to individual norm-based nudges, notably increase the willingness to purchase surplus food, with moral entanglement serving as a mediating factor. Moreover, the influence of these nudging frameworks on the willingness of highly cognitive consumers to purchase surplus food outweighs that on low cognitive consumers. This research contributes to advancing the understanding of surplus food and food wastage.