Resumo

Previous empirical research on organic food has broadly analyzed the purchasing decision process, seeking to access the key attributes evaluated by consumers, as well as the benefits and barriers to organic food consumption. The comprehension of the antecedents of the attitude towards organic food is a great challenge, especially in emerging countries like Brazil, where access to those foods is still limited and the price materializes as one of the main barriers to consumption in general.

There is a lack of empirical studies examining the relationship between food-related lifestyle, attitude towards organic food, and purchase intention. Studies that aim to identify the factors of the food-related lifestyle that correlate to the attitude and purchase intention of organic food will bring relevant theoretical contributions because it will make it possible to predict trends and guide production and marketing systems more precisely. This study aims to analyze the effect of organic-related lifestyle on the attitude and purchase intention towards organic food.

The second-order construct organic food-related lifestyle (OFRL) was elaborated from four variables, extracted from the food-related lifestyle (FRL) scale, developed by Grunert, Brunsø and Bisp (1993; 1995) to segment consumers according to their eating habits, attitudes and associated values (Grunert, 1993). The conceptual model was completed with the attitude and purchase intention constructs, following the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991).

The sample calculation, with G * Power 3.1 software and adopting an Average Effect Size (0.15) and Test Power equivalent to 0.95, resulted in a minimum number of 107 respondents, sufficient to detect the desired effects of Structural Equation Modeling with the Partial Least Square Method (Partial Least Square - PLS). An online survey was carried out and 669 people were selected by non-probability sampling method, resulting 651 valid questionnaires. SmartPLS 2.0 was used to evaluate the measurement model and the structural model.

From the conceptual structure, the research shows that food-related lifestyle dimensions “the importance of product information”, “price criterion” and “health” are determining elements of the attitude and purchase intention of organic food. There is empirical evidence that the OFRL construct, composed of those dimensions, significantly influences the attitude and intention to purchase organic food. In addition, this research revealed the fundamental role of information in the organic food-related lifestyle and in the formation of attitude towards the organics, within the Brazilian context.

Highlighting the role of information in shaping attitude and purchase intention towards organic food, it reveals a great opportunity for practitioners to work on institutional communication more effectively. Furthermore, in Brazil, the organic segment is still a niche and the consumer has more doubts, than certainties about the production process and the advantages of organic food. So, that suggests that marketing communication is a variable that gains relevance in the marketing-mix of Brazilian organic food.

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, pp. 179–211. Grunert, K. G. (1993). Towards a concept of food-related lifestyle. Appetite, 21, pp. 151-155. Konuk, F. A. (2017). Price fairness, satisfaction, and trust as antecedents of purchase intentions towards organic food. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 17(2), pp. 141-148. Watanabe, E. A., Alfinito, S. C., & Hamza, K. M. (2020). Perceived value, trust and purchase intention of organic food: a study with Brazilian consumers. British Food Journal, 122(4), pp. 1070-1184.