How about choosing environmentally friendly beef? Exploring purchase intentions among Italian consumers

Abstract

The increasing global demand for livestock products and its large environmental impact ask for urgent policy and managerial strategies. With regard to meat consumption, feasible actions relate to its reduction and orienting consumers toward more sustainable meat choices. The aim of the study is to investigate the determinants affecting meat consumers in their intention to buy beef whose label clearly expresses environmentally friendly characteristics. To do so, we hypothesized to apply an institutional system of ecological labeling on beef products. An extended framework based on the Theory of Planned Behavior was applied to understand the factors affecting the consumer decision-making process toward eco-labeled beef. A survey was conducted with 1139 consumers in Italy. Data were analyzed by means of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models. Results highlight that beef consumers are likely to change their habits, in favor of more sustainable beef choices. The analysis highlights that, together with consumer attitudes, social norms and perceived behavioral control, institutional trust and food shopping habits play an important role in activating the consumer's cognitive decision-making process toward more sustainable beef. Results add to the literature on the determinants of green food-choices and introduce new insights on the role of institutional trust in the intention to buy beef labeled with a public standard. Findings highlight that particular attention should be devoted to build trust for public institutions in order to promote sustainable food consumption behavior. Moreover, results validate previous studies on the effectiveness of information-based policies in fostering more sustainable consumption choices.

What triggers consumers to purchase eco-friendly food? The impact of micro signals, macro signals and perceived value

“…Third, Nguyen et al (2017) insist that consumers' social identities and subjective norms positively impact their attitudes towards the purchase of eco-friendly products. Stefanella et al (2023) confirm that these factors dramatically influence consumers' purchase intentions. However, other scholars argue that there is no direct link between social identity, subjective norms and consumer purchase intentions (Paul et al, 2016;Armutcu et al, 2023;Qi et al, 2023).…”

“…(2017) insist that consumers’ social identities and subjective norms positively impact their attitudes towards the purchase of eco-friendly products. Stefanella et al. (2023) confirm that these factors dramatically influence consumers’ purchase intentions.…”

In search of a sustainable alternative for meat production: understanding the purchase intention of meat from transhumance origin

“…Modeling follows a series of steps (Hair et al ., 2010) and in our case we start from a model based on the consumer behavior theory. This type of methodology is widely used in consumer behavior research, especially those that develop behavioral theory models (Muralidharan et al ., 2016; Scalco et al ., 2017; Stranieri et al ., 2023).…”

The Role of Location Mediation on Purchase Interest Towards Consumer Purchase Decision in Retail Industry

“…This suggests that purchase interest can vary depending on the consumer's relationship with the minimarket and their previous purchasing behavior (Amanah & Harahap, 2018). Furthermore, the preferences and interests of consumers in terms of where they want to make their purchases can guide minimarket owners in selecting the most advantageous locations (Feldmann & Hamm, 2015;Stranieri et al, 2022). Consumer perceptions and preferences for local products can influence the decision-making process of minimarket owners when choosing a strategic location.…”