Information disorder and organic food purchasing behavior: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

On the one hand, fast social media and internet evolution has brought opportunities to the development of the organic food industry. On the other hand, the excessive utilization of social media and internet has also exerted some negative effects on consumers in terms of information disorder and hindered the industrial progression of organic foods. This study aimed to probe into the relationships between organic food information uncertainty, information search anxiety, information overload and purchase behavior under the mediating role of attitude and the moderating role of involvement, introducing the concept of information disorder in the context of this issue. The data (cross-sectional) of 620 organic food consumers in Jiangxi Province, China were subjected to SEM (structural equation modeling). The results showed that organic food information uncertainty and information search anxiety significantly affected attitude, and attitude had a positive impact on purchase behavior. In addition, attitude significantly mediated the effects of organic food information uncertainty and information search anxiety on purchase behavior. Moreover, the indirect relationship between organic food information uncertainty and purchase behavior was moderated by involvement.

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

“…In comparison, H4c, proposing a positive association of symbolic-driven pleasure with purchase intention, was not supported. This could be attributed to the fact that organic food is not yet mainstream in China, where consumers do not place a high emphasis on organic food (Zheng and Cao, 2022). Moreover, Hyldelund et al (2021) confirmed that in addition to sensory-driven pleasure being considered as the main driving force for consumers to purchase a specific product under different cultural backgrounds, whether other dimensions of food pleasure play a role in purchasing decision depends on a specific product and consumer groups.…”

“…In comparison, H4c, proposing a positive association of symbolic-driven pleasure with purchase intention, was not supported. This could be attributed to the fact that organic food is not yet mainstream in China, where consumers do not place a high emphasis on organic food (Zheng and Cao, 2022). Moreover, Hyldelund et al .…”

“…Organic food is representative of green, safe, environmental friendly, healthy and nutritious food (Basnet et al ., 2023; Liu et al ., 2021; Roh et al. , 2022; Zheng and Cao, 2022). With the improvement in the income level of the population in general, an increasing number of people are becoming concerned regarding the quality of the food they consume, in terms of its safety, nutritional value, sanitation, environmental impact, etc.…”

“…The factors influencing the consumption of organic food have been studied extensively. In addition, among the factors that may affect the organic purchasing behavior of people, studies have reported the following factors as vital: the purchasing intention of consumers toward organic food (Kabir and Islam, 2021; Leonidou et al ., 2022; Pham et al ., 2018; Shamsi et al ., 2020), consumer attitude (Diagourtas et al ., 2022; Kumar et al ., 2023; Lavuri, 2022), health orientation (Ditlevsen et al ., 2019; Kirmani et al ., 2022), environmental orientation (Fernandes and Saraiva, 2022; Nosi et al ., 2020), subjective norms (Khan et al ., 2022; Sadiq et al ., 2021), organic cognition (Hu and Meng, 2023; Liu and Zheng, 2019), food safety concerns (Khan et al ., 2023; Le-Anh and Nguyen-To, 2020; Tleis et al ., 2017), consumer value (Cao et al ., 2022; Roh et al ., 2022) and the available media information (Liu et al ., 2021; Pham et al ., 2018; Zheng and Cao, 2022). In particular, organic purchase intention is regarded to be the most vital factor in the prediction of purchase behavior (Leonidou et al ., 2022; Shamsi et al ., 2020).…”

Knowledgeability about organic food consumption and the factors behind it

“…The high purchasing pattern is determined by an increased level of consumer awareness of safe food and health concerns ( 5 , 6 ). The demand for nutritious organic food is based on its quality ( 7 , 8 ). While the demand for organic food is increasing, the popularity of organic food is not widespread and consumers’ perception of organic food is varied ( 9 ).…”