Health is wealth-eating for tomorrow: factors influencing purchase intention of plant-based diets in India

Many people are shifting towards plant-based diets due to health and ethical considerations about climate change and animal welfare. Changes in dietary patterns are increasing rapidly in some countries, while this trend is just emerging in others. The present study reviews plant-based food adoption in India and identifies the critical factors that drive the purchase intention of plant-based food. The study applied an extended theory of planned behaviour, incorporating a multidimensional construct with subjective norms, environmental attitude, perceived behavioural control, social value, functional value, epistemic value, and health benefits. Environmental attitude was the most important factor, followed by health benefits and epistemic values. Social value positively influenced health benefits, indicating that consumers tried plant-based food based on recommendations by celebrities to gain approval from peers. However, after adoption, they realized the health benefits like better digestion, and reduced hormonal imbalance. Subjective norms were an insignificant factor indicating that adopting plant-based food was a personal choice without family/peer influence. Rather than focusing on meat-eating consumers only, marketers must consider vegetarian consumers and those looking to reduce meat consumption. Communication strategy by food brands and the gastronomy industry should focus less on animal welfare and nudge consumers to reduce animal product consumption due to the health benefits and overall impact on the environment.