When mindful consumption meets short food supply chains: Empirical evidence on how higher-level motivations influence consumers

Abstract

Consumers have begun questioning the global agri-food system, seeking more sustainable alternatives to the conventional mode of food supply. Alternative food networks have been spreading globally, the predominant form of which is known as short food supply chains (SFSCs). The goal of this article is to advance our understanding of the motivations affecting consumer behavior towards SFSCs. To reach this goal, we drew from the mindful and sustainable consumption literature, and conceptualized an integrative framework of three higher-level motivations (i.e., health consciousness, ethical identity, and environmental consciousness) to determine what drives current (i.e., self-reported purchase behavior at the present time) and intended future SFSC purchases (i.e., self-reported intended behavior in the near future). We supplemented our model with the concept of domestic provenance importance, which reflects the importance consumers attach to familiar sources and adjacent spatial conditions of production, as well as with consumers' attitude change towards SFSCs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a survey sample of 1299 food consumers in three European countries (i.e., Germany, Hungary, Spain), we found that environmental consciousness had a strong effect on current purchase behavior. In contrast, ethical identity significantly influenced intended future purchase behavior. Health consciousness appeared to have only weak effects. Moreover, domestic provenance importance and attitude change towards SFSCs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic exhibited a somewhat robust effect overall. Our study contributes to the burgeoning SFSC literature by documenting the differential influence of higher-level motivations on current and future purchase behavior, offering valuable insights to food policymakers and practitioners in quest of stimulating transformative action in food production and consumption.