The Behavioral Economics of Green Consumption: How Moral Values and Material Limits Shape Food Choice in China

Green food, as a certified category of sustainable and safe agricultural products, has gained traction in China amidst growing environmental and health awareness. However, consumer adoption in Henan Province—despite strong governmental promotion—remains limited. This study investigates the factors influencing consumers’ green food purchase intentions by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory into a unified analytical framework. Based on survey data from 1,047 respondents in Henan and regression-based modeling, the research examines the roles of environmental attitude, green knowledge, green trust, price sensitivity, external information exposure, and income level. Results indicate that environmental attitude is the most significant positive predictor of purchase intention (β ≈ 0.28, p < 0.01). While green knowledge and green trust also correlate positively with intention, their effects are largely mediated—especially through trust. Price sensitivity negatively affects intention, with the impact more pronounced among low-income consumers; income moderates this effect by mitigating cost sensitivity among wealthier groups. Moreover, exposure to policy and media does not directly enhance purchase intention, but significantly strengthens green trust, which then positively influences intention. These findings reveal a mediated-moderated pathway from cognition and values to behavior. Theoretically, this study enriches TPB and VBN integration by accounting for economic and institutional trust dimensions. Practically, it offers actionable insights—such as enhancing public education, reinforcing certification credibility, and implementing targeted subsidies—to bridge the “intention–behavior” gap in green food consumption.