What provokes consumers to purchase organic food? Examining the moderated-mediation role of relative consumption, perceived awareness and source of interest

Purpose This study is grounded within the investigation on understanding how perceived health concern (PHC) and perceived environmental concern (PEC) of consumers lead to switching their consumption preference from conventional to organic food consumption (OFC), considering the mediating impact of purchasing intention (PI). Further, the moderating roles of perceived awareness (PA), anticipated pride (AP), moral obligation (MO) and relative consumption (RC) are assessed in the proposed framework. Design/methodology/approach The proposed conceptual framework is tested through a mediation and moderated-mediation analysis (SmartPLS 4.1) of data collected from 420 consumers from five major representative districts of Odisha, namely Khordha, Gajapati, Sambalpur, Balasore and Anugul within the time frame of January to March 2024. Findings The research findings indicate that in the presence of PI as a mediator the relationship between PHC with OFC (β = 0.459) and PEC with OFC (β = 0.151) is stronger in comparison to the direct relationship between them. Further, results are also consistent with the moderated mediation model as all the moderators are significantly related to the mediating path. Practical implications The empirical insights of the study can substantiate key contributions for policymakers, suggesting that health-centered initiatives, improved food labeling standards and greater social visibility of organic products can effectively boost OFC among consumers. Originality/value The novelty of the study lies in laying the foundation for introducing the construct RC as a moderated mediator in the proposed model for gaining empirical insights along with emphasizing the significance of the collective impact of proposed moderators and mediators on OFC.