Combining the VBN Model and the TPB Model to Explore Consumer’s Consumption Intention of Local Organic Foods: An Abstract

The global food system nowadays, whether it is agricultural or livestock activities, as well as mainstream markets, has been considered unsustainable. If the conventional agricultural trend continues, the emissions of food production sector are supposed to surpass the global warming limit of 2 °C by 2050. “Sustainable food consumption” can be a key mitigation strategy to cope with the climate change crisis. Due to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in production, organic and locally produced products have a positive impact on the environment. A large number of empirical studies argued environmental issues as the main motivation for consumers to purchase organic and local foods. Production and consumption of locally available OFs will ensure more sustainable, more delicious, and healthier foods for local residences without sacrificing the economic benefits of local communities. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory of environmentalism are the most commonly used environmental psychology theories with good prediction power. However, both theoretical models have their own drawbacks. This study combines the VBN model and the TPB model to make up the drawbacks of each model to examine the validity of this combined model applied to consumption intention of local organic foods by structural equation modeling analysis. Self-reported questionnaires were collected in Taiwan to examine the environmental psychology theories. The results revealed that the combined model can explain about 47% of the variation in people’s consumption intention of local organic foods. In addition, the results indicated that people’s attitude and perceived behavioral control determine the consumption intention of local organic foods. This result can be further explained through a causal chain: from an individual’s stable value orientations and environment general beliefs to the beliefs that their actions may affect the environment and beliefs that the individual has responsibility to reduce this threat. People’s biospheric value and altruism value are also important.