Should I buy domestic food? What influences Hungarian customers in this matter?

Purpose Consumers and businesses are increasingly looking for domestic products that meet their customers’ sustainability expectations. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that encourage Hungarian food buyers to choose domestic products. Exploring the weight of influencing factors can serve as important information for the positioning and promotion of domestic products. Design/methodology/approach The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) serves as a research framework extended with collectivism and environmental concerns. A quantitative online survey was conducted with 700 respondents representing Hungarian customers over 18 years old. Structural equation modelling was used to evaluate the measurement model and bootstrapping procedure to assess the structural model. Findings The results showed that the examined predictors had significant positive effects on the domestic food purchasing intention and the purchase itself of Hungarians. Important results that collectivism had a predictive role on three other constructs of the model (subjective norm, attitude and environmental concern) and that perceived behavioural control primarily had a direct positive effect on the behaviour itself were derived. Originality/value This study is based on a representative sample of the Hungarian food-buying population over the age of 18. In addition to the predictors of the original TPB model, this study also includes an examination of the effect of some additional individual psychological factors. These factors can be developed through formal and informal social influences, norms and expectations (family, school education). It means that in addition to actions that can be implemented as immediate support for domestic food consumption, long-term desirable social guidelines have also become visible.