Consumers intention towards purchasing IP certified beans: an analysis using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)

The food patterns of consumption are rapidly changing. This change has been reflecting in the increase of safe and more sustainable food consumption. Agricultural foods that are grown in Integrated Production (IP) also match the new consumer’s food quality patterns. In Brazil, the supply of IP certified products is still small. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the consumers’ perception and intention of purchasing certified beans, based on the replication of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The survey was conducted in Goiania (GO), Brazil, in 2014, when 160 common beans’ consumers were interviewed in a local hypermarket. Data were analyzed based on the structural equation modelling (SEM). The results revealed characteristics of consumer’s behavior when faced to certified beans, as a hypothetical product, since they are not yet available on the market. The results indicated that the theoretical model based on the TPB used to explain the intention behavior of purchasing certified beans resulted reasonable fit indices, but with only some of the relations among constructs was consistent with the theory. Thus, the results showed that the proposed model was adequate for explaining the consumer behavior toward the IP certified beans purchasing. As exceptions, one can refer the constructs subjective norms and perceived behavioral control toward the intention of purchasing.