The Effect of Novel and Environmentally Friendly Foods on Consumer Attitude and Behavior: A Value-Attitude-Behavioral Model

Abstract

Extreme weather conditions have intensified due to manufactured environmental damage in recent years. To reduce the environmental impact on the Earth, many consumers seek to change their dietary patterns to protect the environment and voluntarily switch to a vegetarian diet. Past studies have found that the transition from nonvegetarian to vegetarian is not easy, but promoting the consumption of alternative foods such as plant-based meat alternatives should help consumers gradually reduce their dependence on meat during the transition period of changing their eating habits. This study was designed to apply the value-attitude-behavior model (VAB) to study the consumption attitude and behavior of novel and environmentally friendly foods such as plant-based meat alternatives, and the novelty of plant-based meat alternatives was included as an intervening variable for discussion. In this study, 376 valid questionnaires were collected from college students in Taiwan, and the recovery rate of valid questionnaires was 94%. It was found from the analysis of results that perceptions of green value and animal welfare value had a significantly positive effect on attitude, while attitude and product knowledge also had a significant positive effect on behavior; however, the novelty of plant-based meat alternatives products did not have an interference effect on the relationship between product knowledge and behavior. Based on the research findings of this study, it is suggested that when introducing plant-based meat alternatives products, food companies should not only let consumers understand that they are based on environmental friendliness and animal welfare values but also enhance the marketing and promotion of product knowledge to increase consumers’ confidence in purchasing plant-based meat alternatives and reduce their consumption concerns.

How information affects consumers' attitudes toward and willingness to pay for cultured meat: evidence from Chinese urban consumers

“…To investigate the relationship between attitudes and WTP, we included attitudes as a determinant of WTP in the model. The results in Table 4, Columns 2 and 4, show that attitude is a reliable predictor of WTP, which is consistent with previous findings (Ma and Chang, 2022; Bredahl, 2001). However, there is no heterogeneous effect of prior awareness on willingness to pay.…”

Consumer perception of “artificial meat” in the educated young and urban population of Africa

“…This has also been observed in other studies that like in Taiwan where consumers are willing to buy plant-based meat alternatives for sustainable development of the environment despite their high prices. This study concluded that consumers' perception of green value will affect their attitude toward green products (38,39). It was also suggested that that consumers who are highly concerned about animal welfare and environmental issues are likely to consider livestock meat production as causing more ethical and environmental problems than their counterparts, which may affect negatively their consumption of meat or positively their consumption of meat alternatives (40).…”

Forty-five years of research on vegetarianism and veganism: A systematic and comprehensive literature review of quantitative studies

“…a . STREAMS Studies References PRINCIPAL Vgt-Vgn 92 Allen et al [ 42 .I]; Arenas-Gaitán et al [ 8 ], Aschemann-Witzel & Peschel [ 43 ]; Bagci & Olgun [ 18 ]; Boaitey & Minegishi [ 44 ]; Bobić et al [ 45 ]; Brandner et al [ 46 ]; Braunsberger et al [ 47 ]; Brouwer et al [ 48 ]; Bryant [ 49 ]; Cardello et al, [ 50 ]; Chung et al [ 51 ]; Clark & Bogdan [ 20 ]; Cliceri et al [ 3 , 52 ]; Cramer et al [ 53 ]; Crnic [ 54 ]; Estell et al [ 55 ]; Falkeisen et al [ 56 ]; Feltz et al [ 57 ]; Ghaffari et al [ 58 ]; Gili et al [ 59 ]; Graça et al [ 60 .II, 61 ]; Haas et al [ 62 ]; Hibbeln et al [ 63 ]; Hoffman et al [ 64 ]; Isham et al [ 65 ]; Judge & Wilson [ 66 , 67 ]; Kessler et al [ 68 , 69 ]; Krizanova et al [ 70 ]; Krizanova & Guardiola [ 71 ]; Larsson et al [ 72 ]; Ma & Chang [ 73 ]; MacInnis & Hodson [ 74 , 75 ]; Montesdeoca et al [ 76 ]; Moore et al [ 77 ]; Moss et al [ 78 ]; Müssig et al [ 79 ]; ...…”