An analysis of the relationship between meat substitutes consumption and purchase intention

: a study on consumer behavior

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing interest of consumers and companies in making more sustainable decisions across all industries. In this case, the meat industry stands out, where the tendency to replace meat with alternative foods has been increasingly pronounced. Nevertheless, what can contribute to this change in consumer preferences? This study explores the factors that may influence consumer behavior towards meat substitutes, such as the type of packaging and the type of protein, also considering the attitude of food neophobia and sustainability consciousness. The collection of information was indispensable for the success of this study. Thus, primary data, such as the distributed questionnaire.The results obtained indicate that the type of packaging does not influence consumer purchase intention, regardless of the type of protein. However, it was confirmed that the higher the awareness regarding sustainability, the higher the intention to purchase meat substitutes and the lower the intention to purchase meat, being an important finding in this study. Finally, food neophobia also has a moderating effect on the model. The higher the food neophobia the lower the purchase intention for meat substitutes while for meat it remains constant.

Date of Award	5 May 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Paulo Romeiro (Supervisor)