Exploring ethical food consumption behaviour

Paul ReynoldsUniversity of South Australia

Which to choose?

South African Israeli

Which would you have chosen in 1970?

Food purchase behaviour

• what people eat can become a symbol of who they are.

• consumers symbolically use food products to define their relations to other people, to their group of reference, and to social reality in general.

• Following this view, food choice and its purchasing behaviour can not seen as unintentional.

• food can for example become a way for expressing :– relationships systems within human societies, – membership in, or identification with, a

particular group or social category.

Food consumption behaviour

• Complex set of variables– Buying behaviour– Eating behaviour– Food Choice

• Need to examine– Motives– Attitudes– Concerns

Food consumption behaviour

• Which has the stronger influence?– Psychological factors– Situational factors– Past Behaviour– Group identification

Gaps in knowledge

• Gaps in knowledge in the relationship between– Attributes– Attachment– Social groupings– Attitudes

• And– Satisfaction– Behavioural intentions

Ethical food choice

• Ecological/environmental• Food production and distribution• Political (including human rights)• Religion/belief system

Growth in Ethical food offerings

• Organic• Free range• Freedom foods

• Fairtrade• Rainforest Alliance

Ethics and the supply chain

• Environment• Climate change

• i.e. Palm oil– Endangered species– Habitat destruction

• Pollution and Toxics• Habitat and resources

• Sustainable resources

• Animals• Factory farming• Animal rights

• People• Human rights• Workers rights

• Supply chain policy• Irresponsible marketing• Politics

• Genetic engineering

• Antisocial finance• Company Ethos• Product sustainability

Current theory

• Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen 1991)– the leading model for the prediction of human deliberate and motivated social

action. The TPB has been successfully applied to several domains of human behavior, including consumers’ conducts and food choice

• Attribute Value Theory (Glanz et al 1998)

• Attachment Theory (Bowlby & Ainsworth 1964)

• Cultural Capital Theory (Bordieu, 1984)

• Social Identity Theory (Brown 2000)

All have something to offer!!

But there is a diverse range of elements that affect food consumption and purchase behaviour.

Consumer segmentation :free-range chicken and eggs

Cautious followers, 5%

Indifferent shoppers, 26%

Budget watchers, 21%

Independent supporters, 17%

Full supporters, 16%

Habit buyers, 15%

Buys free range, good understanding, rates the issue as important

Can afford to buy free range but not in habit of doing so.

Buys some free range but unsure about the ethics

Not concerned about animal welfare and buys little free range

Animal welfare is important but can’t afford to buy free range.

Similar to “full supporters” but don’t feel as strongly or purchase as much.

Attitudes and Behaviours around sustainable food purchasing. Defra 2011

Conceptual Framework

Attitude towards

food

Social Conformity

Food Attachment

Perceived Value

(Social and economic)

Satisfaction

Behavioural Intention

Research design

• Preliminary study using focus groups– Useful for screening ideas and developing

themes– Flexible– Can generate good data sets

• 4 groups of 8 participants– 18 - 55 years– Qualifications at diploma level or above– Different religions and backgrounds

Identifying Ethical Food Retailing

• Health food shops/organic markets– food from sustainable sources?– Ethical business practice?

• Farmers markets– Perceptions of community and trust rather

than ethical shopping.

Animal welfare

• A concern for all groups– The treatment of animals created more

concerned than poor human resource practices and exploitation.

– Pork and veal production– Egg production– Tuna production (dolphin friendly?)

Social issues

• Working conditions and environmental degradation (i.e. rainforest clearing for soy bean production) came low on ethical priorities

• Where does the information come from?– Media (TV and print) most

believable– High degree of scepticism re.

advertising claims

Influence on buying decisions

1. PriceDEFRA research (2012) 63% main issueIGD ShopperVista (2012) 41% main issue

(but in top 3 of 90%)

2. Perceived value3. Brand image4. Food trends• Ethical behaviour least important

3.7% decrease in organic food sales in UK in 2011

Factors influencing Product choice

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Price

Promotions

Quality

Familiarity

Taste or smell

Use or sell by date

Healthy option

Brand

Use of using

Ethically produced or eco-friendly

Rated first

Rated 2nd

Rated 3/4/5

IGD ShopperVista 2012

16% in top 5 influences

Boycotting foods

Low response:– Poor work practices (chocolate production)– Japanese foods (re. whaling practices)

This suggests that: – day-to-day purchases are driven by habit

rather than societal reasons– Do not want additional inconvenience in

order to make ethical purchase– Gap between intention to purchase and

actual purchase behaviour

Discussion

• Several previous studies suggest consumer purchasing: – has become more socially responsible– Affected by concern re fairness in the value

chain.

• This study is at odds with these findings.

Reasons for discrepancy

• First stage in testing a new model• Small sample size• Social standing of participants

conclusion

• Ethical purchasing will only take place if:– habits can be changed– No additional impost to consumer in terms of

increased time in search behaviour and all food preparation

– No change in product quality– No change in price

involvement

Disposable income +

Disposable income -

Time +

Time -

Ethical Purchase Intention

Ethical Awareness

Believers Uncertain

NeutralUn-

Conscious

findings

• High Personal values re eating healthy food and environment protection but …

• Ambivalence and scepticism regarding ethical foods

• Mismatch between values and behaviour• Consumers increasingly sophisticated but that does not

necessarily translate into consumption behaviour.• Decisions governed by time and disposable income.• Price, value, brand image and convenience feature

more prominently than ethics in food purchasing priorities.

Thankyou