Understanding food pleasure in organic consumption: the moderating effects of trust within the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to identify and describe the relationships among sensory-driven pleasure, cognition-driven pleasure, symbolic-driven pleasure and organic food purchase behavior considering the moderating effects of functionality trust and authenticity trust from the viewpoint of the theory of planned behavior (TPB).Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a structured questionnaire survey in first-tier cities in China. A total of 352 consumers of organic foods participated in the study. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analysis were employed for data analysis.FindingsThe results indicated the significant association of perceived behavioral control, subjective norm, attitude, sensory-driven pleasure and cognition-driven pleasure with purchase intention. Perceived behavioral control and purchase intention had significantly positive effects on purchase behavior. Moreover, functionality trust had a positive moderating effect on purchase intention and purchase behavior.Practical implicationsThis study not only provides novel and original insights for understanding organic consumption but also provides a reference for organic producers, sellers and policymakers to develop effective strategies to guide organic consumption that are conducive to promoting sustainable consumption.Originality/valueFor the first time, this research introduces the construct of food pleasure into the TPB to explore the relationships between food pleasure and purchase behavior based on the TPB. It may expand the scope of the TPB and provide valuable insights regarding how to improve the existing intention–behavior gap in organic consumption.

Determinants of behavior towards hemp-based products: an application of the theory of planned behavior

“…The standard TPB framework is limited in its ability to account for other environmental and economic factors that characterize choice. As such, expanded iterations of the model have been applied to improve understanding of behavior (Rozenkowska, 2023), such as the examination of trust (Cao et al ., 2023), goal motivations (Ajzen and Kruglanski, 2019; Hamilton et al ., 2024), environmental consciousness (Gansser and Reich, 2023; Müller et al ., 2021), and previous behavior (Biasini et al ., 2023). Given that hemp products are relatively new to US markets and consumer research is limited, we examine the standard TPB model to provide an initial understanding of consumer behavior towards various hemp products.…”