Understanding Organic Food Consumption as a Sustainable Choice in the Post-COVID Era Through the Lens of Extended Theory of Planned Behavior: The Moderating Role of Health Value

Purpose - Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, heightened health awareness has driven consumers to prioritize healthier eating habits. This study examines factors influencing organic food consumption as sustainable choice using an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model in the post-COVID era. Design/methodology/approach - A purposive sampling method was used to collect data from 347 frequent organic food buyers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 4 software analyzed the surveyed data. Additionally, IBM SPSS 29 software performed the frequency analysis. Findings - Results reveal that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and fear of the pandemic significantly and positively influence purchase intention of organic foods. Intention to purchase positively affects the actual purchase behavior. Perceived behavioral control also directly impacts actual purchase behavior. In the post-consumption stage, actual purchase contributes to consumers’ perceived well-being. Additionally, health value plays a dual role by moderating the intention-behavior link and also positively affecting perceived well-being. Research implications or Originality - The study contributes immensely to extant theory by extending the TPB model by integrating fear of the pandemic, health value, and perceived well-being constructs. The study has also significant practical implications for organic food marketers including retailers, advertisers, health practitioners, and policymakers.