Model Building for Green Food Purchase Intentions: The Role of Cultural and Behavioral Factors

Abstract

Amid increasing global and national concerns about food safety, green food has become a viable solution for encouraging healthier and more responsible eating habits. This research seeks to examine the behavioral and cultural factors affecting the intention to buy green food. Data was gathered from 30 in-depth interviews with typical consumers in Vietnam. The data analyzed using NVivo 11 software identified three primary groups of influencing factors: (1) motivators like health consciousness, food safety concerns, perceived quality, and environmental concerns; (2) barriers such as high prices, limited accessibility, and authenticity worries; and (3) cultural factors including future orientation, collectivism, and man-nature orientation, all affecting the intention to purchase green food. Building upon these findings, the study proposes the extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model to incorporate cultural factors, thereby providing both a theoretical and practical foundation for developing a quantitative research framework in the subsequent phase.