The effect of Covid-19 on the purchase intention of certified beef in Brazil

Abstract

Some events in recent years have weakened consumers’ trust regarding food safety in a number of countries, including bird flu, hormones and residue of veterinary medicine in meat and, more recently, Operation Weak Flesh. COVID-19 also led to a focus on the urgent need to seek strict production standards that ensure food safety. In this scenario of uncertainty, traceability and certification could be useful tools to improve the perception of trust and safety in production processes. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the purchase intention of certified beef. A quantitative study was conducted with 862 Brazilian consumers. The data were treated using structural equation modeling. The results show that the level of subjective knowledge of certification is related to the importance attributed to traceability and purchase intention. The concern towards legality of slaughterhouses and to traceability was shown to be related to purchase intention. Furthermore, the higher the level of concern over COVID-19, the more important the influence of traceability becomes with regard to meat purchase intention. • Traceability had a positive impact on the purchase intention of certified beef. • The legality of slaughterhouses had a positive impact on purchase intention. • Subjective knowledge of consumers affects the importance attributed to traceability. • The traceability's effect was moderated by the level of concern/fear of COVID-19.