The Mediating Role of Locavorism in the Effect of Local Food Consumption Value on Intention to Purchase Local Foods

PurposeThis research investigates how foreign tourists' revisit intentions are influenced by their local food consumption (LFC) value by emphasizing their attitude towards the local food and the corresponding destination food image. It will also reveal the foreign tourists' food consumption value and explore its influences on the destination's food image.Design/methodology/approachThe data collection was performed from 433 foreign tourists who visited Delhi, India, using a structured survey instrument and chief constructs were measured as the first-order reflective variables. The 39 items associated with the LFC value underwent both exploratory and confirmatory evaluations. The authors employed partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The model's discriminant and convergent validity, consistency and overall fit were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).FindingsThe findings revealed that “tourists' attitudes and behaviors toward the local cuisine” had a significant and positive influence on their “intention to visit/revisit” and “intention to recommend”. Also, “destination food image” significantly and positively influenced the “intention of tourist to visit/revisit”; however, it negatively and insignificantly influenced the “intention of tourists to recommend”.Research limitations/implicationsThis research used five variables related to LFC—quality, health/nutrition, emotion, prestige and price—that impact tourists' attitudes and behaviors toward local foods in Delhi. However, in addition to these constructs, other factors or constructs may be involved that could affect the tourists' attitudes and behaviors. Future studies might explore and include these constructs to provide a more comprehensive image of Delhi's LFC value.Originality/valueUnderstanding tourists' food-linked behaviors is critical for effective market conduct. However, the interrelations between travelers' destination food image, LFC value, their perceptions of the local cuisine and behavioral intentions are still unknown, and this will be one of the first attempts to discuss these behaviors.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore antecedents of local food purchase intention in two food producing countries with different cultural backgrounds. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was employed to collect data from consumers located in Chile (n=283) and Australia (n=300). A proposed model is tested with structural equation modelling. Findings – Attitude towards consuming local food is a strong and direct driver of intentions to purchase local food in both countries. Attitude towards supporting local agri-businesses and consumer ethnocentrism are found to positively impact attitude towards consuming local food in both countries. Attitude towards local agri-businesses also has a direct effect on intentions to purchase local food in Australia, but not in Chile. Interestingly, subjective norms are not found to affect intentions to consume local food in either country. Research limitations/implications – The paper examines factors affecting the attitude towards and behavioural intention regarding local food consumption and develops an extended model of local food consumption. An outcome of this new model is the inclusion of personal variables, which influence local food purchasing behaviour. Practical implications – Producers and retailers need to develop campaigns explaining how consuming local food supports local businesses and farmers, which will reinforce personal values associated with local consumption. Originality/value – This is the first study to demonstrate that positive attitudes towards local foods are important drivers of local food purchase behaviour, independent of the cultural characteristics or level of economic development within a country.

This research aims to determine domestic tourists' assessment of local food value in West Sumatra. The local food consumption value variable consists of 7 subvariables, namely quality value, health value, price value, emotional value, prestige value, interaction value and epistemic value that is felt when domestic tourists visit West Sumatra. The research method used is descriptive analysis by measuring each sub-variable. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling with the criteria being that the respondent was 17 years old. The total sample was 193 respondents. The research results reveal that the sub-variable quality value is perceived by domestic tourists as local food that provides high-quality raw materials and that local food has high quality standards. In the health value sub-variable, domestic tourists give a high assessment that local food restaurants provide food that is safe for health and prices are commensurate with the value of the money spent. In the emotional value subvariable, domestic tourists stated that they were very impressed with local food because it tasted delicious and spicy. In the prestige value variable, respondents stated that by eating local culinary delights they would share this experience with other people by showing their photos. Likewise with the interaction value subvariable, they agreed that by enjoying local culinary delights, respondents felt it was easier to interact with other people. In the epistemic value subvariable, respondents considered that local food provided an opportunity to learn about the local culture of West Sumatra.

The implementation of farm to school programs and the use of local foods in US school meals have increased dramatically since the 1990s. However, supply constraints are often cited by school districts as an impediment to purchasing local foods. In this paper, we estimate the responsiveness of local food sourcing by schools in response to changes in local agricultural production. We test several hypotheses by merging data from the nationally administered 2015 Farm to School Census, which solicits information about local food sourcing from school districts, with Census of Agriculture data and other socio-economic data. We test whether local agricultural conditions influence the probability that a school district sources local foods, as well as the level of such purchases among the subset of school districts that are buying locally. We examine two types of local food purchases: local fluid milk purchases, which is the predominate food product that is locally sourced by schools, and local non-milk food purchases. We test the extent to which local purchases are influenced by local dairy production in the former case and local direct-to-consumer (DTC) agricultural production in the latter case. We find that the dairy and DTC agricultural production had a positive, although modest, impact on local milk and local non-milk purchases, respectively.We find that county-level average income and the percentage of residents in poverty, when statistically significant, had positive and negative, respectively, impacts on local sourcing. Interpreting the coefficients on some of our other control variables involves greater nuance. For instance, while the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals decreases the predicted probability of a school making local non-milk purchases, it has a positive impact on the level of expenditures. We also find that the number of students in a school district has a positive impact on local food expenditures. However, while county-level population has a positive impact on local food expenditures, it has a negative impact on the predicted probability that a school district sources local non-milk products.

PurposeThe local food tourism in Pakistan is increasing rapidly, and it attracts scholars to determine the factors affecting local food tourists' buying choices. Particularly, the authors aim to investigate the role of food consumption values on predicting domestic tourists' attitude toward local food and its effect on the intention to try local food with the moderating effect of personality traits (neophobia and neophilia).Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested the study model on 250 completed responses from local food tourists. They collected the data from three tourism locations (Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar) in Pakistan. Their study utilizes the consumption value theory within the limits of Pakistan's local food tourism.FindingsThe empirical findings show that consumption values, such as price, emotion, interaction, epistemic value, location value and variety value, effectively explain the domestic tourists' attitude toward local food. The authors further report that food neophilia strengthens the local tourists' positive reception toward the local food. However, food neophobia weakens the direction between local tourists' attitude toward local food and the intention to try local food.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights pertaining to tourists' local food consumption values (LFCVs) to a local destination owner and marketing manager to strategically work on LFCVs that are crucial for domestic tourists to derive their intention to try local food. Practitioners should work on domestic tourists who possess food neophobia trait and enquire them for their rejection or avoidance of a particular local destination. This will enable practitioners to bring innovation and development in the local destination, which ultimately promote local food tourism.Originality/valueThis study is the first to incorporate the variety and local value in tourists' LFCVs to predict local tourists' attitude toward local food. Additionally, the authors contribute to local food tourism by empirically studying the moderating role of personality traits (food neophilia and food neophobia) to examine the direction between local tourists' attitude and intention to local food.

PurposeThis study explored the relationship between local food consumption value and satisfaction with local food, leading to behavioral intention. Moreover, tourist's involvement is used as a mediator, and COVID-19 fear moderates between satisfaction with local food and behavioral intention.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling (SEM) technique presents researchers with extra flexibility and better research conclusions. This study used Partial Equation Modeling SEM to test the proposed hypotheses. The convenience sampling technique was used to collect data, and 339 questionnaires were part of the final analysis.FindingsThe results reveal that local food consumption value is positively associated with local food satisfaction except for emotional value. Satisfaction on local food significantly determined tourist's involvement and behavioral intention. Tourist's involvement is positively related to behavioral intention. Despite this, COVID-19 fear significantly decreases behavioral intention. Tourist's involvement significantly mediates, and COVID-19 fear moderates between satisfaction with local food and behavioral intention significantly.Practical implicationsThe results of our research will support scholars and practitioners to recognize the importance of factors that influence people's intention to eat local food. Besides, our research offers a significant policy to get maximum benefits for the tourism industry in Pakistan.Originality/valueTo the author's knowledge, our study initially incorporates a research model in the COVID-19 pandemic and covers local food consumption value, satisfaction on local food, tourist's involvement and COVID-19 fear to determine the behavioral intention of people to eat local food. Besides, consumption value theory was used to build a research framework.

Purpose Drawing from self-categorization theory (SCT), this study aims to explore how individuals’ place-belonging needs, tied to social identity constructs such as local identity, attachment to tradition, and connectedness with nature, drive local food consumer behavior. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a sequential mixed methods design. To test the hypotheses, the authors first conducted a survey-based quantitative study using regression analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) with a sample of Italian residents (n = 495). This was followed by a qualitative study (n = 31), based on semi-structured depth interviews, which explored regional Italian consumers’ real-world experience of local food purchase and addressed the intention–behavior gap. Findings The quantitative analysis reveals that local identity, attachment to tradition, and connectedness with nature positively shape local food attitudes and drive purchase intention, with urban/rural residency significantly moderating the effects of attachment to tradition and connectedness with nature. The qualitative findings show that purchase intention translates into behavior when marketing cues emphasize these social identity, place-belonging needs. Research limitations/implications The findings are generalizable to Global North regions with (post-)industrial trajectories similar to Italy’s but offer a basis for experimental studies examining the role of place in different local food purchase settings. Practical implications This research offers detailed strategic marketing insights to support the promotion of local food consumption in both the private and public sectors, countering global competition and enhancing consumer engagement in their local food system. Originality/value This research integrates the marketing and food geography literatures through a social psychology lens (SCT), quantitatively testing for the first time the role of place-belonging needs as drivers of local food purchase intention. Complementary fsQCA results provide critical nuance on the moderating role of consumers’ place of residence, while the qualitative study explains how self-categorization can shape behavioral outcomes in real-world contexts.

PurposeThis study aims to focus on local food consumption and specifically seeks to explore how consumers construct the meaning of local food and the nature of relationships between key influences on the local food purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachA two-stage qualitative methodology was adopted consisting of five focus group discussions and 25 semi-structured interviews with consumers in Northern Ireland. Focus groups explored consumer meanings of local food. Semi-structured interviews sought to explore in more depth the inter-relationships between the influences on the purchase intention and the role of moral norms.FindingsFive key influences on the purchase intention are identified (quality attributes, experience and familiarity, emotional attributes, the setting, support for the local economy). These influences are connected with a range of self-interest, altruistic and moral factors.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was undertaken in a specific geographical setting and thus the generalisation of the findings is limited. Future research should ascertain the views of stakeholders (producers and retailers) to provide multi-actor constructions and understandings of local food.Practical implicationsThere are a number of practical implications for marketers from this study that provide considerable scope to differentiate local food products. A more nuanced understanding of consumer motivations and their understanding of local food will help marketers to develop brand image linked to the themes identified here such as product familiarity and rural connections. Furthermore, the local food servicescape or setting should be managed carefully to construct an emotional attachment and positive consumer experience, whilst promoting trust and perceptions of quality.Originality/valuePrevious studies on local food consumer behaviour have considered the influences on local food consumer behaviour in quite binary terms (self-interest and altruistic factors). This study unpicks the key influences on the purchase intention, based on a thematic analysis, and proposes a new categorisation and set of interrelationships around five key themes.

The role of life satisfaction and locus of control in changing purchase intentions for organic and local food during the pandemic

This study applied local food consumption values to food tourism (culinary tourism) activities. Prior research revealed that impacts of consumption values in food tourism often varied based on the destination. This study adapts the tourist’s local food consumption value (TLFCV) scale to food travel in general, using a survey of American leisure travellers (N = 489). Interaction value, emotional value, and prestige value impacted purchase involvement of dining decisions while travelling. Travellers believe that eating local food while travelling builds personal bonds (interaction value), provides pleasure and happiness (emotional value), and increases social status or social capital (prestige value). Emotional value played the strongest role in travellers’ purchase involvement, and purchase involvement led to post-travel activities: satisfaction, intention to return and to recommend a destination. Between traveller types, prestige value was less important for culinary travellers than other leisure travellers. Destinations are recommended to market not just local food products or experiences but also the consumption values or benefits that tourists seek.

The market of local and organic food is still a niche market in the USA, despite its strong growth rates. Both offer consumers an alternative to a globalized anonymous food supply chain. Yet local food and organic food seem to be overlapping and to some degree competing food concepts. While the organic food market somehow has managed to “mature”, being widely distributed in national supermarket chains, local food in the US still seems to be tied to a “grassroots food movement”, being mainly distributed over short food supply chains. With several trends indicating sustained growth for local and organic consumption, this paper first addresses different connotations of local food and compares them to standard definitions of organic food. The main focus is to explore the perception of US consumers towards local and organic food, using results from two different studies, both using laddering techniques and word association tests, which were undertaken at Cornell University in New York State and at the University of Florida in the city of Gainesville. These findings are used to arrive at a better understanding of the image of local and organic food, and the motives and values of local and organic food consumers’.

Although local food consumption is growing in importance, there remains a lack of research addressing local food consumption preferences in less developed countries. This article aims to examine the drivers of local food purchase intentions for Chilean consumers. A model of local food behavioral intention was developed from consumer behavior theory. The model was tested using structural equation modeling with data from Chilean shoppers located in Santiago (n = 283). The analysis revealed that Chilean consumers are willing to purchase local food based on their positive attitude toward buying local food and their feelings of connectedness with the environment, but not because they have a desire to support local businesses. These findings have implications for retailers, marketers, and food producers.

Food consumption is an important notion in the hospitality literature. Although its role in gaining visitors’ satisfactory travel experience and in affecting tourists’ experiences of a destination is acknowledged, the impact of travelers’ local food consumption value on tourist behavior remains an underdeveloped topic. This study investigated the effect of tourists’ local food consumption value on their future behaviors by focusing on their destination food image and their attitudes toward local food. The data were collected from 891 tourists in Shiraz, Iran, through a survey-based method using structured questionnaires. Partial least square structural equation modeling was used to test the model proposed. Results indicated that taste/quality value, health value, price value, emotional value, and prestige value left a positive effect on tourist’ attitude toward local food. While destination food image did not influence the intention to visit the destination for food tourism, it positively affected the intention to recommend local food. The observations revealed marketing strategies substantially explored in the study.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the attribute-benefit-value-intention (ABVI) model of local food consumption as perceived by foreign tourists. The model was designed to test the structural relationships between local food attributes, perceived benefits, consumption value and behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approachThe structural relationships of foreign tourists’ perceptions of local food consumption were conceptualized, and hypotheses were proposed. The main survey was conducted using a large sample of 1,323 tourists in Hong Kong.Findings“Food quality”, “food novelty” and “restaurant quality” significantly affected “emotional” and “epistemic benefit”. “Emotional benefit” had a significant effect on “consumption value” and “behavioral intention”, while “epistemic benefit” only influenced “consumption value”.Practical implicationsLocal food marketers and DMOs need to promote the product features that are relevant to tourists’ benefits. Restaurant marketers need to develop distinctive strategies for tourists from different national backgrounds.Originality/valueThis study proposed and empirically tested a new model of tourists’ local food consumption, including two benefits, consumption value and behavioral intention.

Local foods play an influential role in improving the tourism experience in destinations. Local foods can enormously enrich the tourism experience by connecting tourists with the heart and soul of a destination. Past research has identified various perception and motivational factors that support local foods' purchase intentions, but only from a consumer point of view. As the demand for local foods in tourist destinations is gaining more and more importance year after year, this study investigates the influence of those perceptions and motivational factors on purchasing local foods in a tourism destination. A survey was conducted among 470 US tourists who have visited destinations and tasted or purchased local foods in the last three years. Regarding the perception of local foods, the study's findings show that factors like freshness, trust and transparency, preservatives free, and better nutrition are highly reported. Regarding the motivations to buy local foods, the study findings show that factors like supporting the local farmers, enhancing sustainable agriculture, increasing local revenue, and reducing carbon emissions were highly reported. The findings of this study will provide a holistic experience for the tourists that allows them to immerse themselves in the destination's food culture and support the local economy and community. By effectively developing and promoting the destination's local foods by highlighting and promoting the highly rated perception and motivational factors, the destination can attract more food enthusiasts and curious tourists seeking authentic food and cultural experiences.