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BFJ
122,3 Sustainable consumption in
organic food buying behavior: the
case of quinoa
976 Costanza Nosi
Department of Human Sciences, LUMSA University, Rome, Italy, and
Received 30 September 2019
Revised 28 November 2019 Lamberto Zollo, Riccardo Rialti and Cristiano Ciappei
Accepted 27 December 2019 Department of Economics and Management, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

Abstract
Purpose – Using an enhanced version of the theory of reasoned action (TRA), this study investigates the
antecedents of organic quinoa-based food buying intention. In addition to attitude toward this behavioral
intention, the proposed model examines the influence that ecological welfare, political values, and consumer-
perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the point of sale exert on consumer willingness to purchase
organic quinoa-based food.
Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data
collected through an intercept survey conducted at specialized organic stores on a convenience sample of 158
individuals in Italy.
Findings – Although ecological welfare and a retailer’s CSR image positively influence consumer attitude
toward buying organic quinoa-based food, political values negatively affect this attitude. Furthermore,
consumer attitude is found to be a crucial predictor of behavioral intention.
Research implications – At the theoretical level, the results are useful for demonstrating that other
variables, in addition to those used in the traditional TRA, can further explain consumers’ organic food buying
intention. Additionally, the findings might be useful for both quinoa producers and retailers in creating and
executing their marketing and communication strategies.
Originality/value – In addition to contributing to the stream of literature that investigates possible variables
that might increase the predictive power of the TRA, this study sheds some light on organic food purchasing
consumer behavior.
Keywords Theory of reasoned action, Organic food buying intention, Attitude, Ecological welfare, Political
values, CSR, Organic quinoa, SEM
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Organic farming is a viable alternative to conventional agriculture. Among its benefits is that it
generates a lower environmental footprint; thus, it supports ecologically sustainable
development in terms of food quality and safety, environment preservation, and animal
welfare (Kilcher, 2007). Organic farming concerns a farming system that employs biological
fertilizers and excludes or largely limits the use of synthetic manures, insecticides, and chemical
substances. The main outcome of this type of farming is organic food, which normally contains
fewer toxic additives and more nutrients than conventionally produced food (IFOAM EU
Group, 2010)[1]. According to EEC 2092/91[2], food products can be labeled as organic only if
they contain at least 95 percent chemical-free organic ingredients (First and Brozina, 2009).
In the last two decades, the demand for organic food has considerably increased,
transforming a niche sector into a well-established market (Oroian et al., 2017). Indeed,

© Costanza Nosi, Lamberto Zollo, Riccardo Rialti and Cristiano Ciappei. Published by Emerald
British Food Journal Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Vol. 122 No. 3, 2020
pp. 976-994 Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both
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0007-070X
DOI 10.1108/BFJ-09-2019-0745 authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
organic food is currently pervading the grocery-retailers scene. Consistently, the number of Sustainable
organic food producers and specialized retailers is growing every day (Hughner et al., 2007). consumption
The prominent reason for this phenomenon is recognized to be the changes in consumer
perception of food. Food is no longer simply considered nourishment but has gained manifold
facets due to consumers’ renewed view of the various health- and environment-related
impacts of people’s eating habits and food production methods (Chen, 2009).
In parallel with the growth in the organic food industry’s turnaround, research has started to
focus on profiling the organic food consumer (Liang, 2016). A recent literature review (Rana and 977
Paul, 2017) has classified the factors able to shape the attitudes of organic food consumers. One of
the most important factors is health consciousness (i.e., thinking that the food has good nutritional
characteristics and is, therefore, compliant with the person’s expectation of well-being), together
with perceived quality and taste (Megicks et al., 2008). Given that organic food is produced
without using (or limiting the use of) insecticides and chemicals, which are proved to be harmful in
the long run for human health, consumers’ intrinsic motivations, such as personal interest toward
a healthier lifestyle, surely matter in their decision-making processes (First and Brozina, 2009).
Another related relevant factor influencing consumers’ motivation to purchase organic food is
perceived safety (Van Loo et al., 2013). Modern consumers are more prone to purchase products
from producers ensuring certified production processes. Individuals’ objective knowledge about
the reasons because organic food is less detrimental for the body is then fundamental in their
choice (Aertsens et al., 2011). Consumers’ extrinsic motivations – motivations derived from
consumers’ social contexts – have been observed as relevant, in addition to intrinsic ones (Zollo,
2020). As organic products are usually more expensive than conventionally produced food,
fashion trends and show-off motives have been found to be relevant in influencing consumer
purchasing behavior in Italy and the United States (Hemmerling et al., 2013; H€ uteel et al., 2018).
Yet, although certifications validating the fairness of production processes represent a factor that
increases consumer willingness to buy and pay for organic foods (Deliana, 2012), high prices may
also be perceived as a barrier to purchase for less affluent consumers (Grunert and Juhl, 1995).
Personal and political values are also relevant antecedents of consumers’ attitude and
intention to purchase organic food. In regard to personal values, the extant literature has
emphasized how organic food purchasing derives from individual perceptions about its
consequences in terms of animal welfare, environmental protection, and respect for human
rights across the food value chain (Rana and Paul, 2017; Govindan, 2018). Reverberating on all
stakeholders’ trust, corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices by firms producing and
selling organic food are considered important factors in shaping consumer behavior (Pivato
et al., 2008). On the other hand, in regard to political values, consumers interested, for whatever
reason, in organizational CSR practices tend to be more involved in the choices they make when
shopping for organic food. This is fundamental, as consumers who feel involved tend to be less
likely to confuse “real” organic food with other alternatives (Tarkiainen and Sundqvist, 2005).
Finally, it has also been outlined how younger consumer cohorts from developed countries
(a.k.a. millennials) are more motivated to purchase organic food (Al Swidi et al., 2014).
Similarly, attitude toward purchasing organic food tends to be higher in women who have
children living in the household (Aertsens et al., 2009; Rialti et al., 2017, 2018).
Given the relevance of attitude in shaping organic food product buying and buying
intention (Liang, 2016), multiple studies aimed at investigating organic food consumer
purchasing behavior have adopted theoretical models from the social cognition literature
(Ajzen and Fishbein, 2005). Among them, both the well-known theory of reasoned action
(TRA) (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1973) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991)
have been used. This notwithstanding, the existing research is limited in at least two aspects.
On the one hand, most previous studies have focused more on the use of such theories to
outline the profile of organic food consumers. Thus, their aim was more related to the
sociological analysis of consumers purchasing organic food. Second, the previous research
BFJ has mostly focused on one motivating factor at a time; hereby, a trait-d’union in regard to the
122,3 overall motivations influencing organic food consumers’ attitude is still missing.
Based on these premises, this study investigates the antecedents of consumer buying
intention toward organic food using an enhanced version of the TRA (Ajzen and Fishbein,
1973), providing the case of organic quinoa-based food as an example. In addition to attitude
toward behavioral intention, the proposed model examines the influence that ecological
welfare, political values, and consumer-perceived CSR of the point of sale exert on consumer
978 willingness to purchase organic quinoa-based food. Hence, this study aims at detangling how
several heterogeneous factors simultaneously influence consumers’ decision to purchase
organic food. The results show how environmental welfare and CSR image are relevant
antecedents of consumers’ attitude and intention to purchase organic food.
Counterintuitively, political values are not pertinent as expected.
This manuscript is organized as follows: In the following section, some information about
quinoa is provided, as the authors have deemed it relevant to better specify the importance of
the selected product in the current environment. Then, in the third section, the adopted
theoretical framework and the proposed model are described alongside the hypotheses; further,
the research design is presented. The fourth and fifth sections describe the methodology and the
results of the investigations, respectively. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications, the
conclusion, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided in the final sections.

Organic quinoa
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild) is an herbaceous plant that originates from the Andes in
South America. It belongs to the family of the Chenopodiaceae, such as spinach and beetroot, and
is labeled a pseudo-cereal as it is similar to cereals because of its prevailing starch content, but it
does not belong to the botanical family of grasses (Bazile et al., 2016). Quinoa is considered a
highly nourishing food, and thanks to the quality of the proteins and the range of vitamins and
minerals it contains, it has been selected by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as one
of the crops destined to offer food security in the twenty-first century (Jacobsen, 2003). The United
Nations General Assembly has declared 2013 as the “International Year of Quinoa,” recognizing
that the ancestral practices of the Andean people have succeeded in preserving quinoa in its
natural state as a food for present and future generations, through cultivation methods that
safeguard the environment and perpetuate the local rural culture (FAO and CIRAD, 2015).
Thanks to its versatility, quinoa can be used to produce a variety of foods: flour, noodles,
cookies, flakes, milk, and so on, in addition to being consumed in its natural form in salads and
soups (Jacobsen, 2003). Furthermore, as quinoa is gluten-free, all products made with it can be
safely eaten by people affected by celiac disease. Both EU and US imports of quinoa have been
rising in recent years, and this happened notwithstanding the price increase in raw materials,
showing the increasing interest in this food both in the industry and in the end markets.
Considering what has been mentioned earlier, organic quinoa represents a paradigmatic
example of a sustainable food whose consumption might be linked to additional attributes, such
as environmental, health-related, social, and political, that go beyond its mere nutritional
function (Long and Murray, 2013). Consumer buying behavior toward organic quinoa-based
food seems, therefore, to be an appropriate and interesting area for studying consumption
practices that embody a wide array of different motives for consumer attitudes, environmental
concerns, social and political values, as well as production-process fairness perceptions.

Theoretical framework
Theory of reasoned action
The TRA is one of the psychological theories that have been developed to predict, explain,
and change human behaviors, commonly referred to as social cognition models (Ajzen and
Fishbein, 1973). Such models claim that a small number of affective and cognitive factors, that Sustainable
is, attitudes and beliefs, are the proximal causes of individual behavior (Rivis et al., 2009). The consumption
TRA was elaborated to deliver a parsimonious understanding of motivational and
informational influences on individuals’ behavior (Conner and Armitage, 1998). It is a
causal model, which identifies the determinants of behavioral intention – and eventually
overt behavior – and portrays how they are combined (Conner et al., 2007). The usefulness of
the TRA stems not only from its predictive power but also from its capability to reveal the
underlying causal processes that spur people to act in certain ways (Ajzen and 979
Fishbein, 2005).
The core construct in the TRA is intention, defined as a person’s motivation behind their
mindful decision to make an effort to achieve a specific behavior. According to the model, the
greatest portion of human actions can be predicted based on intention, given that such
actions are under volitional control and people can decide at will to perform them (Ajzen and
Fishbein, 1973). From a TRA perspective, behavioral intention is influenced by two
independent factors: attitude toward the behavior, that is, “the degree to which a person has a
favorable or unfavorable evaluation or appraisal of the behavior in question” (Ajzen, 1991, p.
188), and subjective norm, that is, “the perceived social pressure to perform or not to perform
the behavior” (p. 188).
Attitudes are personal components, resulting from the person’s appraisal of the costs and
benefits derived from performing the behavior. This appraisal is defined to be a “behavioral
belief” in the TRA. It has been claimed that people assess the consequences of alternative
actions before taking them, and they are more likely to engage in actions they associate with
desirable outcomes (Bang et al., 2000). Subjective norm is, instead, a social component and
results from the perceptions of important others’ opinions about what a person should – or
should not – do. Such perceptions are labeled “normative beliefs” in the theory and important
others, such as family members, friends, and peers, are salient referents for the person, who
are able to influence their decisions (Han et al., 2010). The TRA states that individuals’
behavioral intention is more likely to be affected by important referents’ opinions when
people are more willing to be influenced by these specific referents.
Although numerous meta-analyses (e.g. Madden et al., 1992; Sheppard et al., 1988) have
corroborated the predictive capability of the TRA demonstrating its large effect size, a
significant percentage of the variance in either behavioral intentions or overt behavior is still
unexplained. It is, in fact, the author himself (Ajzen, 1991) who has cast doubts on the
sufficiency of the model, claiming that there might be additional variables able to influence
individuals’ behavioral intention as well as overt behavior. Specifically, he recognizes that the
intention to behave in a certain way might also be the result of additional beliefs. Moreover,
particularly in some contexts, people could be influenced not only by social pressure but also
by other variables.
This is why, in time, to increase the predictive power of the TRA, multiple additional
constructs and modified versions of the model have been proposed in the literature (Conner
and Armitage, 1998). In addition to the renowned TPB (Ajzen, 1991), which adds perceived
behavioral control to the two fundamental TRA components, some examples of additional
constructs considered are consumers’ motivations (Fitzmaurice, 2005), anticipated regret
(Nosi et al., 2017a, b), norms and feelings (Kaiser, 2006), past behavior (Kidwell and Jewell,
2008), consumer–firm co-creation practices (Nosi et al., 2017a), and altruism and self-interest
(Corbett, 2005).
Currently, the TRA – in its seminal or modified version – is employed in multiple
research fields, such as education, health, marketing, and communication, and has been
used to investigate numerous behaviors, such as coupon usage (Bagozzi et al., 1992),
voting (Singh et al., 1995), online grocery buying (Hansen et al., 2004), and longevity
annuity purchasing (Nosi et al., 2014). The framework has been also extensively adopted
BFJ in the analysis of pro-environmental behaviors, for example, renewable energy use (Bang
122,3 et al., 2000), recycling (Davies et al., 2002), staying at green hotels (Han et al., 2010), electric-
vehicles buying intention (Nosi et al., 2017b), and organic food purchasing (Yazdanpanah
and Forouzani, 2015).

Conceptual model
980 In the present study, we propose and empirically test a conceptual framework (see Figure 1) to
assess the antecedents of consumers’ sustainable attitude and buying intention.
Following the attempts to increase the predictive power of the TRA, in the present study,
an enhanced version of the model is provided. Given that research has revealed that buying
behavior is mainly under attitudinal, rather than normative, control (Agarwal and Malhotra,
2005), in this analysis, we focused on the attitudinal component of the model. Similarly to the
investigation of renewable energy use by Bang et al. (2000), we analyze the influence of some
antecedents (i.e. ecological welfare of the production process and consumer political values)
on attitude and how these reverberate on purchasing organic quinoa-based food.
Furthermore, the model includes the direct influence that the consumer-perceived CSR of
the point of sale may exert on consumers’ behavioral intention and their attitude toward
buying organic quinoa-based food. Therefore, the proposed model embodies the attitudinal
component of the TRA but adds some constructs that, in the authors’ view, may integrate and
increase explicative power.
Attitude has been identified as the most crucial variable in determining consumers’
purchase of organic food, and the relation between attitude and behavioral intention has been
found to be positive and significant (Liang, 2016). Ethical issues have also been claimed to be
an important factor in driving consumers’ food choices as it is believed that people guide their
behavior based on their concern for the environment and for animal safety (Rana and Paul,
2017). Concerns about animal well-being and environmental safeguards have been shown to
be antecedents of consumer attitude toward organic products (Khare, 2015). The greater the
concern about such issues, the more likely it is that consumers will form a positive attitude
toward organic foods and will eat them, given that most people consider organic food an
ethical product (Crane, 2001). Previous research (Lindeman and V€a€an€anen, 2000) has
demonstrated that consumer perception about the fairness of food production processes –in
terms of both animal welfare and environmental protection – and the way foods are packed

Environmental
Protection Ecological
Welfare
Animal H1
Welfare

Political H2 Attitude H4 Behavioral

Values intention

H3
CSR towards the
society CSR
Image
CSR towards
Figure 1. customers
Hypothesized
conceptual model
Source: Authors’ own elaboration
constitute an individual’s overall perception that can be labeled “ecological welfare” (p. 56). Sustainable
Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed: consumption
H1. Ecological welfare positively influences attitude toward buying organic quinoa-
based food.
The literature (i.e. Cherrier, 2007; Doran, 2009; Long and Murray, 2013) has indicated the
relevance of personal values in consumers’ decision to purchase ethical food products, such as
organically grown and locally produced, as well as fair-trade certified food. In particular, a 981
positive relationship between individuals’ social, environmental, and political values and
willingness to pay for organic food has been found by Loureiro and Hine (2002). According to
this stream of research, consumers’ choice of one product (sustainable) over another
(nonsustainable) is spurred by multiple factors, which also include their religious, spiritual,
environmental, social, and political beliefs (Harrison et al., 2005; Micheletti and Stolle, 2008). In
relation to motives for choosing to purchase sustainable food, Lindeman and V€a€an€anen
(2000) identified three personal value-related factors able to influence consumer attitudes and
eventually their purchasing behavior: ecological, religious, and political motives. Ecological
motives reflect the consumer’s concerns toward animal rights and, more generally, toward
the environment. Religious motives represent the admissibility of a food according to
someone’s creed. Political values include the tolerability of the political system in a product’s
country of origin and consumer concerns about human rights. With relation to these motives,
the authors proved that the higher the consumers’ perception that a product’s country of
origin is adopting practices that do not conform to their political values, the less likely they
are to buy food from that country. Hence, the following hypothesis is proposed:
H2. Political values positively influence attitude toward buying organic quinoa-
based food.
Consumers claim that they expect firms to safeguard the environment and behave ethically
and that they often base their buying decisions on these factors. This is why the issue of CSR
has become a major area of business, which can provide a company success in the long run
(Mohr et al., 2001).
Compared to CSR, the food sector faces specific challenges. The food industry has a
relevant impact as it depends on natural, human, and physical resources. Hence, specific
requirements must be fulfilled along the entire value chain, aimed at ensuring safe
cultivation methods, animal welfare, and proper environmental, social, and labor
conditions in production processes, as well as the quality, healthiness, and safety of
products (Kosu tova and Jarossova, 2014). Accordingly, consumers’ perception of the CSR
practices of all organizations involved in the food sector, retailers included, may affect
their buying behavior. The CSR image that individuals have of a firm results from their
appraisal of the firm’s activities aimed at customers as well as toward the whole society
(Perez and del Rodrıguez Bosque, 2013; Rialti et al., 2016). A firm’s CSR image is claimed to
be an identity-based corporate image, which communicates the company’s commitment to
CSR and embodies stakeholders’ – including consumers’ – perception of the way the
organization presents itself in terms of its socially responsible initiatives and actions
(Pomering and Johnson, 2009). A firm’s CSR image shows aspects of its corporate identity
that are stable and frequently more distinctive than tangible elements, such as product
offering preeminence, contributing to the formation of enduring positive attitudes toward
the company and its products by the consumers (Jamali et al., 2019). Accordingly, the
following hypothesis is proposed:
H3. CSR image positively influences consumer attitude toward buying organic quinoa-
based food.
BFJ In the field of green marketing, a great deal of research has been devoted to finding a
122,3 relationship between consumer attitude and purchasing behavior (i.e. Cerri et al., 2019;
Nguyen et al., 2019; Trivedi et al., 2018). As mentioned earlier, attitude has been recognized
as one of the most important factors influencing consumer buying behavior in general and
specifically toward green and ethical products (Mohiuddin et al., 2018; Woo and Kim,
2019). Positive and significant relationships between attitude and intention to buy have
been verified – also very recently – for different types of sustainable food, such as eco-
982 friendly shellfish (Wang and Somogyi, 2019), organic vegetables (Mohd Suki, 2018), fair-
trade coffee (Maaya et al., 2018), and organically grown apples (Yamoah and Acquaye,
2019). Considering both traditional and more contemporary scientific studies that show
the influence of attitude on consumer purchasing intention in the green market, our last
hypothesis is the following:
H4. Attitude positively influences intention toward buying organic quinoa-based food.

Research design
Sampling process and measures
The data for this study were collected through a survey conducted between March and
October 2018 in the center of Italy. Questionnaires were administered face-to-face by trained
investigators adopting an intercept survey method (Bush and Hair, 1985). Respondents were
approached at specialized organic stores. Participation in the study was voluntary,
anonymous, and no compensation was provided. In total, 158 questionnaires were collected,
considered valid for elaboration, and analyzed. The literature suggests that an adequate
sample for structural equation modeling is 20 or 30 observations per latent variable
(Nunnally, 1994); as our hypothesized model has five latent variables, the minimum required
sample size has been reached. Initially, the questionnaire was pretested in a Tuscan
university; a student panel composed of five respondents involved in sustainable
consumption activities checked it for clarity of formulation, easiness to complete, and
possible ambiguity (Zollo et al., 2017a; Rialti et al., 2019). After this pretest, no substantial
changes were made to the final questionnaire.
The questionnaire used in the study consisted of six sections and 30 items, as reported in
Table I.
The first section included items designed to assess the ecological welfare construct, which
was captured as a second-order variable composed of two latent variables: animal welfare
and environmental protection (Lindeman and V€a€an€anen, 2000).
The second investigated political values, assessed through the four-item scale by
Lindeman and V€a€an€anen (2000).
The third included CSR image measures and was conceptualized as a second-order
construct composed of two latent variables: CSR toward customers and CSR toward society
(Perez and del Rodrıguez Bosque, 2013).
The fourth and fifth sections assessed customers’ attitude and buying intention, captured
through the six-item and four-item scales by Yazdanpanah and Forouzani (2015), respectively.
The final section of the survey consisted of questions on sociodemographic information
and eating habits, as well as quinoa consumption behavior.
All construct items, corresponding to specific statements as shown in Table I, were
assessed using a seven-point Likert scale, where 1 5 strongly disagree and 7 5 strongly
agree, measuring the interviewees’ level of agreement with the provided statements.

Preliminary analysis
A summary of sample characteristics is presented in Table II.
Constructs and items Source
Sustainable
consumption
Ecological welfare Adapted from Lindeman and
It is important that the organic quinoa-based food I eat. . . V€a€an€anen (2000)
Animal welfare
Has been produced in a way that animals have not experienced pain
(ANIM.V1), has been produced in a way that animals’ rights have been
respected (ANIM.V2) 983
Environmental protection
Has been prepared in an environmentally friendly way (ENV.P1)
Has been produced in a way that has not shaken the balance of nature
(ENV.P2), is packaged in an environmentally friendly way (ENV.P3)
Political values
It is important that the organic quinoa-based food I eat. . . comes from a Adapted from Lindeman and
country I approve of politically (POL.V1), comes from a country in which V€a€an€anen (2000)
human rights are not violated (POL.V2), has the country of origin clearly
marked (POL.V3)
Has been prepared in a way that does not conflict with my political values
(POL.V4)
CSR image
I think that this point of sale. . . Adapted from Perez and del
Rodrıguez Bosque (2013)
CSR toward customers
Establishes procedures to comply with customer complaints (C.CSR1),
treats its customers honestly (C.CSR2)
Has employees that offer complete information about corporate
products/services to customers (C.CSR3)
uses customer satisfaction as an indicator to improve the product/service
marketing (C.CSR4), makes an effort to know customer needs (C.CSR5)
CSR toward society
Helps solve social problems (S.CSR1)
Uses part of its budget for donations and social projects to advance the
situation of the most underprivileged groups of the society (S.CSR2)
Contributes money to cultural and social events (e.g. music, sports)
(S.CSR3), plays a role in the society beyond the generation of economic
benefits (S.CSR4), is concerned with improving the general well-being of
society (S.CSR5)
Is concerned with respecting and protecting the natural environment
(S.CSR6)
Attitude
I think that buying organic quinoa-based food is interesting (ATT1). Adapted from Yazdanpanah and
I think that buying organic quinoa-based food is a good idea (ATT2). Forouzani (2015)
I think that buying organic quinoa-based food is important (ATT3).
I think that buying organic quinoa-based food is beneficial (ATT4).
I think that buying organic quinoa-based food is wise (ATT5)
I think that buying organic quinoa-based food is favorable (ATT6)
Behavioral intention
I am willing to consume organic quinoa-based foods if they are available Adapted from Yazdanpanah and
for purchase (INT1). I intend to consume organic quinoa-based foods if Forouzani (2015)
they are available for purchase (INT2). I plan to consume organic quinoa-
based foods if they are available for purchase (INT3)
I will try to consume organic quinoa-based foods if they are available for
purchase (INT4) Table I.
Source: Authors’ own elaboration Constructs and items
BFJ Over 77 percent of the respondents were female, and the majority were aged 18–39. Most of
122,3 the survey participants held a high school degree (50.63 percent), had a monthly income in the
range of EUR 1,001–2,300, and followed a Mediterranean diet (67.72 percent) or a vegetarian
diet (18.99 percent). The price of quinoa products was perceived as medium-expensive and
respondents’ expenditure frequency was mostly weekly (49.37 percent), with purchase
frequency being mainly monthly (35.44 percent) and quarterly (25.95 percent).
984
Results
Means, standard deviations, and scale reliabilities
In Table III, the scales and items’ descriptive statistics are shown, in addition to the reliability
of the scales.

Correlation analysis
Table IV shows the correlation analysis and the related Pearson’s r values (Laudano
et al., 2018).
As expected, the highest correlation was the one between consumer attitude and intention
(r 5 0.808, p < 0.01). Similarly, the two types of CSR image (toward customers and toward
society) were highly correlated (r 5 0.806, p < 0.01). Interestingly, consumer attitude was
more highly correlated with CSR perception (r 5 0.356, p < 0.01) and environmental
protection (r 5 0.259, p < 0.01).

Measurement model
A confirmatory factor analysis for each of the main dimensions was conducted by using SPSS
module AMOS v. 22 (Arbuckle, 2013). To estimate the parameters and test the three hypotheses
described by the conceptual model (see Figure 1), the maximum likelihood function in AMOS
was used (Hair et al., 2006). First, a measurement model was built containing the observed
variables, also called “indicators.” The unobserved variables, called “latent” variables (Zollo
et al., 2019), were processed to assess the goodness-of-fit, validity, reliability, and correlations of
the model (Bentler, 1990). The goodness-of-fit measures were examined to verify that the model
exhibits acceptable parsimony (Bentler, 1990). First, absolute fit indexes were computed. The
Chi-square test is an indicator of the overall goodness-of-fit. The Chi-square statistics of the
model were significant (x2 5 85.028; p < 0,01), and the relative Chi-square suggested a good fit
with a t-test value of x2/df 5 2.443 (lower than 3, as required) (Bentler, 1990). The “goodness of fit
index” (GFI) measures the fit between the hypothesized model and the covariance matrix of the
observed variables, indicating model fit for values above 0.90 (Hu and Bentler, 1999). Therefore,
the GFI of the model (0.945) suggested an acceptable level of fit. The “adjusted goodness of fit
index” (AGFI) was also computed and its value was acceptable (0.912) based on the suggested
threshold of 0.90. The last absolute fit index computed was the “root mean square error of
approximation” (RMSEA), which measures the fit of the tested model to the population
covariance matrix. The RMSEA of the model (0.058) suggested an acceptable fit, close to the
required value of 0.06 (Hu and Bentler, 1999).
Another set of indices referred to as relative fit indexes examine the discrepancy between
the Chi-square values of the hypothesized model and a “baseline” model used as a standard
parameter (Bentler, 1990). The most commonly used indices are the “comparative fit index”
(CFI), the “incremental fit index” (IFI), and the “normed fit index” (NFI) (Bentler, 1990).
According to Hu and Bentler (1999), CFI, IFI, and NFI values above 0.90 are satisfactory. The
model exhibited acceptable values in these fit indices (CFI 5 0.968; IFI 5 0.960; NFI 5 0.955).
Furthermore, the measurement model showed that the path coefficients between the
indicators and the latent variable were significant (Zollo et al., 2018, 2019).
Control variable Frequency Valid %
Sustainable
consumption
Gender
Male 35 22.15%
Female 123 77.85%
Age
18–29 23 14.56% 985
30–39 37 23.42%
40–49 36 22.78%
50–59 41 25.95%
>60 21 13.29%
Education
Primary 2 1.27%
High school 80 50.63%
Bachelor 22 13.92%
Master 42 26.58%
PhD 11 6.96%
Other 1 0.63%
Diet typology
Mediterranean 107 67.72%
Vegetarian 30 18.99%
Vegan 11 6.96%
Other (i.e. gluten-free, fruit-only) 10 6.33%
Monthly income
<600V 17 10.76%
601–1,000V 39 24.68%
1,001–2,300V 83 52.53%
>2,301V 19 12.03%
Perception of quinoa-based food price
Cheap 9 5.70%
Medium 89 56.33%
Expensive 60 37.97%
In-store expenditure frequency
Weekly 78 49.37%
Monthly 36 22.78%
Quarterly 19 12.03%
Yearly 8 5.06%
Other 17 10.76%
Purchase frequency of quinoa-based food
Weekly 15 9.49%
Monthly 56 35.44%
Quarterly 41 25.95%
Yearly 29 18.35%
Other 17 10.76% Table II.
Source: Authors’ own elaboration Sample characteristics

To control for common method bias (CMB), the procedures suggested by Podsakoff et al.
(2003) were followed. Harman’s one-factor test showed that the variance explained by the
single factor was less than 50 percent, namely 38.55 percent; and the χ 2 difference test with
one degree of freedom resulted in Δχ 2 ≥ 3.84. Hence, CMB is unlikely to be a significant issue
in the present study (Laudano et al., 2018; Zollo et al., 2017a, b).
BFJ Scale Mean SD α
122,3
Ecological welfare
Animal welfare
ANIM.V1 6.45 1.062
ANIM.V2 6.48 1.033

986 Environmental protection 6.54 0.71

ENV.P1 6.52 0.942
ENV.P2 6.65 0.706
ENV.P3 6.47 0.942
Political values 6.17 0.70
POL.V1 5.66 1.662
POL.V2 6.53 1.051
POL.V3 6.63 0.87
POL.V4 5.87 1.575
CSR image
CSR toward customers 5.59
C.CSR1 5.09 1.545
C.CSR2 5.81 1.355
C.CSR3 5.83 1.312
C.CSR4 5.51 1.466
C.CSR5 5.70 1.255
CSR toward the society 5.08 0.91
S.CSR1 4.66 1.729
S.CSR2 4.77 1.708
S.CSR3 4.42 1.569
S.CSR4 5.37 1.586
S.CSR5 5.49 1.479
S.CSR6 5.79 1.405
Attitude toward buying intention 5.20 0.91
ATT1 5.56 1.394
ATT2 5.34 1.404
ATT3 5.10 1.472
ATT4 5.27 1.461
ATT5 5.27 1.473
ATT6 4.68 1.473
Buying intention 5.43 0.95
INT1 5.61 1.440
INT2 5.39 1.496
Table III. INT3 5.45 1.529
Descriptive statistics INT4 5.27 1.460
and reliability analysis Source: Authors’ own elaboration

Hypotheses testing
A structural model was built to assess both the values of standardized item loadings and the
hypothesized path coefficients between the constructs (Hu and Bentler, 1999). Specifically,
AMOS was used to estimate the structural model shown in Figure 2 (Zollo et al., 2017b). The
values of both the relative fit indices (x2/df 5 2.554; GFI 5 0.948; AGFI 5 0.902;
RMSEA 5 0.059) and the absolute fit indices (CFI 5 0.946; IFI 5 0.937; NFI 5 0.948) are
acceptable (Jamali et al., 2019; Laudano et al., 2018).
An examination of the path coefficients indicates that ecological welfare (þ0.32; p < 0.01)
and CSR image (þ0.37; p < 0.01) significantly and positively influence consumer attitude,
Variables 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sustainable
consumption
1) ANIM.W 1
2) ENV.P 0.587** 1
3) POL.V 0.485** 0.610** 1
4) C.CSR 0.145 0.182* 0.184* 1
5) S.CSR 0.054 0.150 0.149 0.806** 1
6) ATT 0.195* 0.259** 0.116 0.356** 0.374** 1 987
7) INT 0.097 0.221** 0.103 0.239** 0.274** 0.808** 1
*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01
Notes: ANIM.W: animal welfare; ENV.P: environmental protection; POL.V: political values; C.CSR: CSR
toward customers; S.CSR: CSR toward society; ATT: attitude; INT: intention Table IV.
Source: Authors’ own elaboration Correlation matrix

thus supporting H1 and H3. However, political values (0.12; p < 0.01) showed a negative
influence on attitude, thus not supporting H2. Finally, attitude had the strongest statistical
influence on consumer behavioral intention (þ0.83; p < 0.01), providing support for H4.

Discussion, theoretical and managerial implications

This study aimed to investigate the antecedents of organic quinoa-based food buying
intention using an enhanced version of the TRA (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1973). In addition to
attitude toward behavioral intention, the proposed model included the influence that
ecological welfare, political values, and consumers’ perceived CSR of the retailer exert on
consumer willingness to purchase organic quinoa-based food.
Not both the investigated consumer ethical concerns, namely ecological welfare and
political values, are positively related to attitude toward purchasing organic food. Only the
variables in the first analyzed construct, namely its two components – environment
protection and animal welfare – positively influence attitude toward buying organic
quinoa-based food. Contradicting the results of Lindeman and V€a€an€anen (2000), the
present study reveals that consumers’ perception of the political practices in the organic

Environmental 0.85*
protection Ecological
Welfare
Animal 0.69*
Welfare +0.32*

Political -0.12* Attitude +0.83* Behavioral

Values intention

CSR towards the 0.93*

+0.37*
society CSR
Image
CSR towards 0.87*
customers

Figure 2.
*p < 0.01; values in latin indicate factor loadings (λ); values in bold indicate standardized regression weights. Results of the
structural model
Source: Authors’ own elaboration
BFJ food’s country of origin does influence attitude but in a negative way. In other words, the
122,3 fairness of production practices related to human and social welfare, which are included in
the broader category of political values, are not deemed relevant in consumers’ purchase of
organic products. This is in line with Low and Davenport (2007), who claimed that when
consumers make an ethical consumption choice, such as purchasing organic food, they are
confronted with three types of ethical concerns: animal, environmental, and human/social
welfare. However, as regards making a buying decision, conflicts may arise among the
988 three ethical spheres, resulting in problematic trade-offs that spur people to be selective
when making ethical choices (Zollo et al., 2017c). Although conceivable, pursuing all three
ethical concerns in the purchase of a single product is hardly achievable. Furthermore, in
the case of organic food consumers, in agreement with the present study, the two ethical
criteria that seem to prevail are no animal cruelty and environmental welfare (Low and
Davenport, 2007). The fact that the sign of coefficient of the influence exerted by political
values on attitude is negative, meaning, paradoxically, that consumers would prefer to buy
food from countries where human rights are violated, might be partially explained by
considering the respondents’ misinterpretation of what political values represented. During
the interviews, investigators realized that in the mind-set of the majority of people, the
concept of political values tended to coincide with that of political ideology instead of with
values of equality and justice. This could be possibly due to the culture-related
characteristics of the Italian people (Schwartz et al., 2010). Studies conducted elsewhere
might provide different results, more in agreement with the notion of political values
intended by Lindeman and V€a€an€anen (2000).
On the other hand, CSR image does have a significant and positive influence on attitude
toward purchasing organic quinoa-based food. Additionally, the magnitude of the CSR
impact on attitude is greater than that exerted by ethical concerns, meaning that
consumers are considerably affected by the image they have of the retailer as a socially
responsible actor. According to previous research (Kosu tova and Jarossova, 2014; Mohr
et al., 2001), this finding confirms that CSR represents a powerful means in the hands of
organizations for staying competitive. Implementing CSR practices and communicating
them to consumers effectively may favor the formation of positive attitudes toward buying
quinoa-based food and result in increased sales. Moreover, CSR activities toward society
exert a greater influence on attitude than those toward customers. This result confirms
that CSR image is a multidimensional construct worth investigating, considering its
different domains (Perez and del Rodrıguez Bosque, 2013). Furthermore, at the managerial
level, retailers should focus most of their efforts in CSR activities toward the society as a
whole instead of only investing in customer care (Franceschelli et al., 2019; Cillo et al.,
2019). Consistently with a company’s need to align its identity – the way the company
wants to be perceived by the stakeholders – with its image – the way stakeholders
actually perceive the company –, we suggest that marketing managers communicate their
CSR activities to external stakeholders, especially customers (Brown et al., 2006).
Specifically, our results suggest that a company’s CSR image is the strongest antecedent of
customers’ purchase attitude, thus implying that CSR toward customers and CSR toward
society are strategic levers that managers should consider when communicating with the
company’s external environment.
Finally, attitude significantly and positively influences consumer intention to buy
organic quinoa-based food. The extent of this influence is so high that it can be concluded
that attitude almost completely explains behavioral intention. This result confirms previous
research aimed at predicting human behavior based on social cognition models, which
investigate the relationship between attitude and behavioral intention (e.g. Ajzen and
Fishbein, 2005). With specific reference to organic food purchasing, this study supports the
notion that attitude is the most crucial variable in determining consumers’ buying behavior
(Liang, 2016). With attitude being the major predictor of purchasing behavioral intention, to Sustainable
increase sales, the efforts of both quinoa producers and retailers should aim to enable the consumption
formation of positive consumer attitudes. According to this study, this could be done by
effectively leveraging attitude antecedents, that is, reassuring consumers about the fairness
throughout quinoa production, respecting animal welfare and environmental protection, as
well as adopting CSR policies and publicizing them appropriately in the market
(Franceschelli et al., 2018).
Therefore, the present study extends the pertinent literature by discovering that factors 989
such as CSR concerns and ecological welfare contribute to the shaping of consumers’
attitude. In contrast, it finds that political values do not matter. Hereby, this study
preliminarily has explored the importance of these three factors simultaneously, showing
how, in the presence of all three together, the importance attributed to political values
decreases. Thus, the study sheds some light on the decision-making processes of organic
food consumers.

Limitations and suggestions for future research

The first limitation of this research is that the survey design is based on a convenience
sampling method. Therefore, the obtained results cannot be generalized to the entire Italian
population. Although future research on organic food buying behavior would definitely
benefit from investigations of probability samples, it cannot be ignored that the use of
nonprobability samples is quite common in marketing research and in behavioral and social
science studies.
Furthermore, like multiple studies adopting the TRA as a theoretical reference framework,
this study also investigated the intention to buy organic quinoa-based food, and not overt
purchase behavior. Although there is compelling evidence about the validity of using
intention to predict real action (Ajzen, 1991), no test of the relation between intention and
concrete purchasing behavior was conducted in this analysis. Future studies could profitably
investigate the relationship between intention and overt behavior and verify the existence of
a possible intention–behavior gap.
Additionally, no measure was included in the present study to prevent the so-called
“response bias.” Given the sensitivity of the investigated matter, especially in relation to
environmental concern and buying behavior, future studies should take precautions in
minimizing the phenomenon of socially acceptable answers that could distort results.
Finally, the study was conducted in Italy. Country-related social and cultural factors
unquestionably influenced the findings. Future studies enlarging the geographical scope of
the analysis could achieve different outcomes that may be worthy of attention for their
theoretical and managerial implications.

Notes
1. International Federation of Organic Food Movements: https://www.ifoam-eu.org/.
2. European Council Regulation.

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Further reading
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e-Commerce: empirical results from Italian grocery retailers”, British Food Journal, Vol. 121
No. 2, pp. 574-589.
Faraoni, M., Rialti, R., Vannucci, V. and Zollo, L. (2019b), “How to foster online wine purchase?
Empirical evidences from Italy”, Micro & Macro Marketing, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 71-92.

Corresponding author
Lamberto Zollo can be contacted at: lamberto.zollo@unifi.it

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