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How health consciousness and Youngsters’

intention
social consciousness affect young towards
organic food
consumers purchase intention
towards organic foods 1249
Yuandong Su Received 12 December 2021
Revised 14 March 2022
Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China Accepted 29 March 2022
Asadullah Khaskheli
Hainan University, Haikou, China, and
Syed Ali Raza and Sara Qamar Yousufi
Department of Business Administration, IQRA University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract
Purpose – This current research investigates antecedents affecting young consumers’ purchasing intention of
organic foods in a developing nation’s (Pakistan) context utilizing Theory of Planned Behavior. For this
purpose, theoretical framework comprising characteristics of a product, concerns of consumers and
consciousness were proposed.
Design/methodology/approach – Responses were collected from a sample comprising 418 young
consumers through the convenience sampling technique. The data has been evaluated through Structural
Equation Modeling.
Findings – Findings demonstrate that characteristics of products and concerns of consumers significantly
affect young consumer’s health and social consciousness. However, such health and social consciousness were
found to have an insignificant effect on young consumers’ attitudes. Moreover, findings also show that attitude
is positively linked with young consumers’ purchase frequency towards organic foods. Outcomes also approve
moderation of environmental awareness between attitude and organic food purchasing intention.
Practical implications – The present study offers numerous implications for marketers, policymakers and
socio-ecological organizations regarding development of intervention strategies to promote the purchase of
organic foods. The study provides implications regarding making organic foods more accessible to all
consumers in order to increase organic food consumption in developing countries.
Originality/value – Although young consumers are aware of organic food products, their knowledge about
the concept is limited. Therefore, this study provides an understanding of consumer’s perspective regarding
their purchase intention of organic foods, which will help marketers, researchers and food producers to achieve
marketing strategies for the development of these products.
Keywords Food safety concern, Nutritional content, Health consciousness, Purchase intention, Young
consumers, Organic food
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
Environmental degradation and its negative impacts on human health have been a major for
many academics and administrations these days (Yadav and Pathak, 2016).
Overconsumption was a result of industrialization and economic expansion resulting in
various ecological concerns such as climate changes, polluted air, natural resource
deterioration, degradation of the ozone layer and health hazards (Khan and Mohsin, 2017).
Consumers have awareness about the consequences on the environment and human health
Management of Environmental
Quality: An International Journal
Vol. 33 No. 5, 2022
This research work is funded by NSFC (72172129), the National Social Science Fund of China pp. 1249-1270
(20BSH103), Ministry of Education, humanities and social science projects (21YJA63003, 19YJC860033) © Emerald Publishing Limited
1477-7835
and Sichuan Liquor Development Center (CJZ21-03). DOI 10.1108/MEQ-12-2021-0279
MEQ by their activities as a result of such negative environmental impacts and imbalances (Qasim
33,5 et al., 2019). People’s eating habits have changed as their concerns about health and social
consciousness have grown. Therefore, encouraging and increasing acceptance of
environmentally friendly behaviors is crucial for the environment’s sustainability. Hence,
in response to these harmful consequences, consumers have started changing their food
consumption patterns and show more concern about their nutritional value, health and
quality. Van Doorn and Verhoef (2015) state that, consuming and purchasing eco-friendly
1250 products, for example organic food, tends to have a major effect on improving environmental
quality. Lockie et al. (2002) propose that consumption of natural products is essential for
environmentally sustainable lifestyles. Organic food is another positive trend that has
developed due to increasing awareness of health issues. Organic food consumption has
increased dramatically over previous decades, with a higher annual growth rate than that of
the conventional food market (Molinillo et al., 2020). Therefore, consumer preferences shifted
away from conventionally grown foods toward goods produced organically. Organic food is
described as produced products with pesticide-free, synthetic fertilizer-free, bioengineered-
free and ionizing radiation-free produce. According to MS (2021) organic food is the food that
is cultivated, processed and stored without using chemicals or synthetic fertilizers and in an
environmentally friendly manner. As the organic products do not utilize chemical pesticides,
so they consume 40% less energy to manufacture, also benefit soil welfare, the environment
and also animals (Bostan et al., 2019). Organic food is seen by consumers as being healthier,
having a better flavor and being much fresher than conventional food. Organic food sales
have risen exceptionally across the world due to their perceived benefits. Despite the fact that
developed countries consume the bulk of organic food (90% of total consumption) the
majority of organic food is manufactured in South Asian developing countries (Asif
et al., 2018).
The producers of organic products have increased exponentially from 2015 to 2016 in the
Asian region and are predicted to rise by 37% in the next 10 years, more than any other region
(Willer and Lernoud, 2019). Pakistan is a South Asian economy with agriculture accounting
for 20% of the country’s GDP. Pakistan has 45,299 hectares of organic land out of a total of
22.68 million hectors of cultivated land, with 111 commodities producers, but contributes just
0.1% to the global organic industry (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2019). Furthermore,
considering the benefits and potential of organic foods, their adoption is quite low in Pakistan.
According to the Economic Survey conducted by the US Department of Agriculture, among
84 countries survey, Pakistani households are found to spend highest on food products, that
is half of their income. In Pakistan the average spent of consumers income on food is 47.7%,
whereas in the United States just 6.6% of income was spent on food. A behavioral issue in
Pakistan is consuming unhealthy food instead of nutritious organic food to prevent non-
communicable diseases (NCDs). Consumers do it for fun, entertainment and recreational
experience (Yahya et al., 2013). According to reports, NCDs account for 56% of Pakistan’s
overall disease burden. Despite this, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and
different malignancies account for 60% of all fatalities in Pakistan. Pakistan also has the
greatest percentage of diet-related cardiovascular mortality. Therefore, aforementioned facts,
it is necessary to identify indicators that might predict consumers’ organic food purchase
behavior in health-affected nations such as Pakistan.
Several characteristics have been discovered in previous studies on the consumption of
organic food, explaining why consumers consume and purchase organic food. In most of the
researches purchase intention is linked with the followings, that is environmental effects,
benefits for health, safety for food, quality, nutritional value, price premium, taste and
availability all of which have been connected to purchase intent in most research (Rana and
Paul, 2017). Furthermore, several researches have looked at the purchase intension of
consumers towards the organic food using a theory of planned behavior (Ahmed et al., 2020).
 Young people are a major force in the development of an ecologically conscious populace Youngsters’
and a potential organic industry. Several studies have emphasized the significance of young intention
consumers in green purchases (Lee, 2010; do Paço et al., 2013). Younger generations are the
future of society’s innovators. They appear to have a good understanding of environmental
towards
concerns and sustainability. Regardless of their overall financial situation, they prefer to buy organic food
environmentally responsible items. Prior research has provided mixed results when
evaluating young consumers’ intentions toward organic goods (Lian and Yoong, 2019) and
prompting calls for further research in emerging countries. Pakistan has been designated as 1251
one of the world’s youngest nations and the second youngest country in South Asia after
Afghanistan. As a result, Pakistan is a key market for green products such as organic food.
While these studies provide some insights into the phenomena that drive consumers to
purchase organic food, there still remains a knowledge gap about how health and social
consciousness affect young consumers’ purchase intention towards organic foods in
developing countries. Thus, this research aims to determine how health and social
consciousness influence young consumers’ purchase intention towards organic foods. Also,
limited research has determined a moderating environmental awareness mechanism in the
link between attitude and intention. Therefore, to fill these gaps, this study investigates the
drivers that affect the health and social consciousness of young consumers which motivates
them to purchase organic foods. This study makes several contributions: Firstly, findings
will help clarify the relationship among several drivers and the health and social
consciousness of young consumers. Second, the study highlights how health and social
consciousness shape young consumers’ attitudes, which results in organic food purchase
intention. Third, this study adds to the existing organic food literature by demonstrating the
moderating influence of environmental knowledge on the relationship between attitude and
purchase intention. Lastly, the findings of the study will provide implications for managers of
food industry in Pakistan, allowing them to better understand consumer behavior and make
better decisions and policies in the food market.
The remaining manuscript is structured as follows: Theoretical background and
hypothesis are discussed in Section 2. The research methodology explained in Section 3.
Moreover, empirical results and discussion are presented in Section 4. Conclusion and
recommendations are discussed in Section 5.

2. Literature review
2.1 Theoretical background
Many investigations concerning pro-environmental behavior and purchase of organic food
have explored the association between attitude and intention (Michaelidou and Hassan, 2008).
Two theories, that is Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein, 1979) and Theory of Planned
Behavior (Fishbein, 1979) were considered as expectancy-value theories and rational choice
models that support the nexus between attitude and intention (Ajzen, 2011). Precisely,
theories suggest that attitude is the main predictor of behavioral intention. Furthermore,
according to the Theory of Planned Behavior, development of behavioral intention can be
inclined by aspects, namely: attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. TPB
is valuable as it predicts intention and behavior in multiple fields, and was also applied
successfully in the choice of food and behavior, especially in the organic food context. Rana
and Paul (2020) recently published a study that emphasizes the significance of understanding
factors that influence attitudes toward organic food purchases. Therefore, the model
outlining antecedents of attitude-intention hierarchy has been developed, which is consistent
with existing literature. According to Magnusson et al. (2001), despite their favorable
attitudes toward organic food, only 4–6% of consumers purchase organic food.
MEQ Previously varied range of factors have been identified that influence consumption of
33,5 organic food. For example, Regine (2011) discovered demographics (i.e. gender, income, age,
ethnic group and education level) affect preferences of young consumers for organic
products. Moreover, Hassan et al. (2015) concluded, ecological concerns, perceived value
and health factors affect purchase intention for organic food but awareness has no impact.
Moreover, Yadav (2016) also highlighted that purchasing organic food is influenced by
environmental and health concerns. Hence, the contradictory findings obtained by prior
1252 studies demand that factors, that is health consciousness and environmental concern
should be studied in detail. Therefore, for this purpose, in this study, we explore how health
and social consciousness affect young consumers’ intention to purchase organic food and
have employed the TPB theory to investigate the relationship between attitude and
intention.

2.2 Hypothesis development

2.2.1 Food safety concern. According to Lee and Hwang (2016), food safety concern refers to
the point of consumer concern about the quality of processed food, the use of synthetic
additives, chemical, artificial, growth regulators or ingredients in food products. According to
previous studies, people believe organic food is safer since it does not include certain chemical
and synthetic components during processing (Pham et al., 2019). Food safety is linked to a
person’s health consciousness. Through their choices of food, consumers with safety issues
are vigilant and avoid consuming chemical substances that may harm their well-being.
Moreover, concerns of safety were recognized as key drivers of purchase intention because of
having a positive impact on health attitudes (Prentice et al., 2019). Food safety is also linked to
societal consciousness. Consumers who are socially conscious are frequently led by principles
such as food safety. They choose organic items because they are concerned about food safety.
Also, individuals having concerns regarding food safety will have a strong belief in local
production (Winter, 2003). Organic product purchasers recognize that this behavior supports
the local community and benefits their families. Several studies have also shown that young
consumers have a poor understanding of food safety (Green and Knechtges, 2015), which may
be addressed by providing them with extensive education at institutions. Therefore, we offer
the following hypotheses:
H1a. Food safety concern positively relates to health consciousness.
H1b. Food safety concern positively relates to social consciousness.
2.2.2 Natural content. Organic foods can be referred to through various terms like natural,
local, pure and fresh (Rana and Paul, 2017). According to Chen (2007), naturally composted
organic foods influence consumers’ decisions to purchase them. Natural content is the food
that has no artificial coloring, chemicals or food additives, preserving the natural essence of
the raw materials. According to Essoussi and Zahaf (2009), in order to indicate that the food is
natural the consumers of organic food are drawn towards the labels to state that the food is
free of pesticides, hormones and chemicals. Organic food consumers place a higher value on
natural content and animal welfare than consumers who choose local food. Organic food
buyers have awareness regarding their consumption which impacts their health; therefore
insights that organic food is natural strengthens their belief that they are better for their
health (Michaelidou and Hassan, 2008). According to Galati et al. (2019), knowing that organic
food is created with natural components has a substantial influence on health-conscious
customers. Organic foods are increasingly frequently purchased by health-conscious
customers as a health-protection mechanism. Natural content is linked to social
consciousness as an advantages of food’s native proprieties favorably impact family and
communal contexts (Padel and Foster, 2005). Consumers of organic product are more likely to
believe in local producers, as they believe that their food is fresh and natural. Hence, we Youngsters’
propose hypotheses as: intention
H2a. Natural content has a positive association with health consciousness. towards
H2b. Natural content has a positive association with social consciousness. organic food
2.2.3 Nutritional content. Nutritional content is a factor of a food product’s that impacts
people’s health (Tandon et al., 2020). It is the most essential attribute having greater nutrition 1253
and lack of chemicals. According to previous research, nutritional content is a crucial aspect
that influences customers’ preference for organic food (Escobar-Lopez et al., 2017).
Furthermore, few researchers claimed that health-conscious consumers buy originally
processed food as it contains natural means, and is free of chemicals, synthetic or genetic
additions and manipulations (Pham et al., 2019). The non-existence of artificial flavoring
causes consumers to recognize organic products as a better choice than conventionally-
grown food (Van Doorn and Verhoef, 2015). Moreover, research suggests that opinions
regarding organic food’s nutritional value, as a result of its natural content, can influence
consumers’ purchasing intentions (Lee and Yun, 2015) and generate a favorable attitude.
Young consumers feel that organically grown foods are safer for their family’s health and
have superior nutritional value and health benefits than conventional foods; hence nutritional
content is related to social consciousness. The following hypotheses were suggested:
H3a. Nutritional content has a positive link with health consciousness.
H3b. Nutritional content has a positive link with social consciousness.
2.2.4 Environmental concern. The environment is the most significant aspect that encourages
customers to purchase organic products. According to previous research, organic products
can reduce damage caused by natural hazards. Hence, consumers nowadays show greater
concern towards protecting the environment. They believe that consuming organic products
could help overcome environmental problems (Aman et al., 2012). Environmental concern
relates to the avoidance of ecological harm and it also impacts on community life. It forecasts
consumer perceptions about organic foods. Environmentally conscious customers have a
positive attitude toward organic foods and buy organic products (Prentice et al., 2019).
Customers’ choices of ecologically friendly items, such as organic food, also affect their health
and quality of life. Environmental concern relates to health consciousness the more
ecologically conscious an individual is, the more they will be worried about their health and
dietary choices (Laroche et al., 2001; Galati et al., 2019). Environmentally concerned customers
exhibit ethical behavior and recognize the effect of their consumption on the community (Pino
et al., 2012). Moreover, awareness regarding the protection of the environment has positive
social behavior and subsequently greater social consciousness (Hwang, 2016). According to
Molinillo et al. (2020), environmental concern has a substantial influence on health and social
consciousness, which implies that customers who are concerned about their health and
quality life are more likely to use organic products. Therefore, we postulate hypotheses:
H4a. Environmental concern has a positive association with young consumers’ health
consciousness.
H4b. Environmental concern has a positive association with the social consciousness of
young consumers.
2.2.5 Sensorial appeal. Food product appearance has a positive impact on the customer’s
satisfaction and the quality (Espejel et al., 2007). Sensory appeal has been identified as the
primary factor influencing perception, consumption, satisfaction and purchase decision of
consumers towards organic foods (Massey et al., 2018). Sensory characteristics, for example,
MEQ freshness, taste, aroma, flavor, appearance and texture are driving aspects that influence
33,5 consumers’ attitudes towards purchasing and acquiring of organic food (Lee and Yun, 2015).
Labels of organic food stimulate improved nutritional value. Because of changes in
processing and packaging technologies, sensorial characteristics were enhanced
significantly in recent years and this inspires consumers towards organic products.
Through organic food’s sensory appeal, consumers observe that they achieve particular
well-being and intensely associate their health to attributes such as appearance and taste
1254 (Cicia et al., 2009). A healthy diet and lifestyle are gaining consumers’ attention; therefore,
consumers disclose that health issues signify a key intention for buying organic food. Health
attributes are as important as sensory ones for buying organic foods. Organic foods portray
that they are processed in traditional ways, which means they are free from pesticides,
chemicals and other toxic substances which will not harm consumers’ health. The sensory
appeal is also significantly linked to social consciousness. Consumers want to defend their
families by providing healthy food (Trofholz et al., 2016). Consumers believe locally grown
organic food is fresher and tastes better. They also want to help the local food system, so they
prefer locally grown organic food. Molinillo et al. (2020) studied millennials and discovered
that sensory appeal has a positive relationship with social consciousness but not with health
consciousness. Therefore, we postulate hypotheses:
H5a. Sensory appeal has a positive association with the health consciousness of young
consumers.
H5b. Sensory appeal has a positive association with the social consciousness of young
consumers.
2.2.6 Health consciousness. Health consciousness, which represents accountable health-
oriented choices, directly points to when individuals engage in health behaviors (Pham et al.,
2019). Many consumers consider that organic food is beneficial for health as it contains higher
levels of nutrients. Compared with traditional foods, Green foodstuffs have better quantities
of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and less pesticides and toxins than conventional
food (Kriwy and Mecking, 2012). Consumers who are health-conscious are more aware of their
own health. They are inspired for improving and maintaining their health and life quality for
avoiding ill health by involving themselves in healthier habits and being self-conscious about
health (Newsom et al., 2005). As a result, health concerns appear to be the most powerful
motivation for acquiring and consuming organic food in both developed and developing
nations (Lillywhite et al., 2013). Consumers’ attitudes toward organic food are encouraged by
their health concern (Lee, 2016). Watson (2015) states, young consumers are becoming
increasingly interested in consuming healthier meals. This is due to the fact that young
consumers learn about healthy features through their families and educational institutions
over time. Thus, we propose a hypothesis:
H6. Young consumers’ health consciousness has a positive association with their
attitude towards organic food.
2.2.7 Social consciousness. According to Hansen et al. (2018), social consciousness refers to a
person’s social concerns and interests in their social environment. Organic marketplace
behaviors provide feasible and substantive means for socially conscious consumers to
associate their concerns (e.g. concerns about one’s health) with concerns for their social
surroundings (e.g. concerns about one’s family’s health) (De Maya et al., 2011). Seyfang (2006)
states, organic food consumers help to improve and support the local economy and society by
increasing self-reliance and independence from multinational firms and stores. According to
several authors, customers are more likely to consume organic goods if they engage in
socially-oriented behavior (Cicia et al., 2009). Moreover, Rana and Paul (2017) stated that
social consciousness is a sense of community affecting the purchase intentions for supporting Youngsters’
and protecting communities and the local market. Molinillo et al. (2020) found that social intention
consciousness is positively associated with millennial purchase behavior towards organic
food. Thus we propose a hypothesis:
towards
organic food
H7. Young consumers’ social consciousness has a positive association with attitude
towards organic food.
2.2.8 Attitude. In consumer psychology research, attitude has long been regarded the most 1255
important factor in determining behavioral intention and actual behavior. It may reveal
consumers’ psychological assessment of products (Xu et al., 2020). According to Clark et al.
(2019), customers who have a favorable attitude toward organically produced foods are more
likely to purchase organic products. According to Tsen et al. (2006) attitude is a significant
variable of consumers’ capacity to purchase green products. Individuals believe that green
products are free of pesticides, food additives and are highly processed, and that organic
foods are more favorable than traditional foods, increasing their purchase value.
Furthermore, Michaelidou and Hassan (2008) propose that attitude towards organic foods
positively affects purchase intentions. Also, the study by Yazdanpanah and Forouzani (2015)
reveals that attitude strongly predicts young consumers’ purchase intention towards organic
food. Hence, we propose hypothesis:
H8. Attitude has a positive association with young consumers’ purchase intention of
organic food.
2.2.9 Moderating role of environmental awareness. Laureti and Benedetti (2018) propose that
while examining attitude towards sustainability of the environment, various researchers
have discovered that environmental awareness among consumers firmly and gradually
determines decision for consuming and acquiring organic food. Environmental awareness
defines the flow of information and environmental awareness challenges and solutions
(Zsoka et al., 2013). According to Ahmed et al. (2020), ecological knowledge moderates the
relationship between young customers’ attitudes and purchase intentions toward organic
food. Thus, more awareness leads to more impact on purchase intention. Furthermore,
environmental awareness has been used interchangeably with environmental knowledge by
Safari et al. (2018) and is considered a key determinant of green behavior. Among the human
population, environmental awareness and education sensitivity play a critical role in society’s
overall well-being. With the rise of environmental awareness, people are more concerned
about safety of foods, thus encouraging people to question current farming techniques in
order to ensure environmental sustainability. It is considered to be an important factor
influencing people’s consumption behavior and the environment’s sustainability. As a result,
we propose that environmental awareness moderates the association between attitude and
young customers’ purchase intention (Yi, 2019). Asif et al. (2018) concluded in a prior study
that awareness functions as a positive moderator in the purchasing of organic foods. Hence,
we propose hypothesis as:
H9. Environmental awareness positively moderates the relationship between attitude
and young consumers’ purchase intention for organic food.

3. Methodology
3.1 Research model
Figure 1 depicts the model of the study, including characteristics of products, concerns and
the consciousness of consumers as independent variables, while purchase intention is a
dependent variable. The framework depicts variables that observe the influence of
MEQ Environmental
33,5 Food Safety Awareness
Concern

Natural Health
Content Consciousness
1256
Nutritional
Content Attitude Purchase
Intention

Environmental Social
Concern Consciousness

Sensorial
Appeal
Figure 1.
Conceptual model
Source(s): Author’s Construction

consumers’ concern and product characteristics, that is food safety concern, environmental
concern, sensory appeal, natural content and nutritional content on health and social
consciousness of young consumers, which in turn affects their attitude and their purchase
frequency of organic foods. Environmental concern should not be confused with
environmental attitude. Consumer’s attitude towards organic products is defined as a
degree of effect (positive, negative or neutral acquired propensity) towards the concept of
purchasing organic products (Cachero-Mart
ınez, 2020). Environmental concern, on the other
hand, is described as people’s awareness of environmental issues and their willingness to help
solve these issues (Paul et al., 2016). Moreover, environmental awareness’s moderating role
was also examined on the link between attitude and purchase intention.

3.2 Data collection and instrumentation

This research was carried out in Pakistan to determine how interested young consumers are
in purchase organic products. The study adopted a quantitative approach and employed a
survey questionnaire to collect data from university students. According to Blichfeldt and
Gram (2013), university students are at a developing stage and can yield appropriate steps for
their life. Furthermore, for this research, these young consumers are best suited because of
distinctive characteristics, that is care for the environment, sustainability of food and organic
consumption. Therefore, this study’s target respondents are young consumers (i.e. university
students) studying in higher educational institutions and were conveniently approached for
data collection. Overall, 430 respondents took part; but, after data screening, 12 responses
were removed because of having missing values. Therefore, sample size is 418 respondents.
The criterion for sample size was given by many researchers who suggest that a sample of
100 is adequate for convergence (Ahmed et al., 2020). Moreover, as stated by Anderson and
Gerbing (1984), a sample of 150 is also satisfactory for convergence. Thus, for performing
estimations in this research, the sample size is satisfactory.
Questionnaire consists two sections, that is the first section comprises respondent’s
details, while the second section comprises the items of variables adopted from previous
studies. A 7-point Likert scale that ranges from (1) strongly disagree to (7) strongly agree was
used for answering each construct’s items. Four items of food safety concern and three items
of sensorial appeal were taken from Roddy et al. (1996); three items of natural content were Youngsters’
adopted from Molinillo et al. (2020); four items of nutritional content were adopted from intention
Tandon et al. (2021); five items of environmental concern were taken from Jeyakumar Nathan
et al. (2021) and Maichum et al. (2016); five items of health consciousness were adopted from
towards
Nagaraj (2021) study; five items of social consciousness were adopted from Hansen et al. organic food
(2018); six items of attitude and four items of purchase intention were adopted from Asif et al.
(2018). The six items of environmental awareness were adopted from De Toni et al. (2018).
Moreover, while gathering data, it was informed to respondents that their provided details 1257
will remain personal and will not be distributed to anyone.

3.3 Demographics
Demographics include details about respondents’ age, education and gender and are
displayed in Table 1. In terms of gender, 68.4% of participants were male, while 31.6% were
females. In terms of age, 24.9% of participants belong to the age group of 18–22 years, 67.9%
of respondents belong to the age group of 23–27 years, 6.7% of the respondents belong to the
age group of 28–32 years and remaining 0.5% of respondents were aged more than 32 years.
While analyzing education, 80.4% of respondents were undergraduates, 14.8% of
respondents were graduates, 3.1% of respondents were post-graduates and the rest 1.7%
were specialized in other fields of study.

4. Data analysis and results

The data was analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-
SEM). As suggested by Hair et al. (2011), PLS is a technique that efficiently analyzes data with
less restrictive assumptions, small sample sizes, increased model complexity and the
emphasis is more on exploration rather than confirmation. Therefore, for performing
estimations, SmartPLS 3.2.9 software was used (Ringle et al., 2015). Also, the bootstrapping
approach (5,000 re-sample) was employed to measure path coefficient significance (Raza et al.,
2020a). The proposed model was tested in two stages, that is first, reliability and validity of
measurement model have been assessed, and then the structural model was assessed.

4.1 Measurement model

Table 2 posits a measurement model that provides quantitative measures of constructs’
validity and reliability. According to Henseler et al. (2009) suggestions for measuring the

Demographic items Frequency Percentage

Gender
Male 286 68.4
Female 132 31.6
Age
18–22 104 24.9
23–27 284 67.9
28–32 28 6.7
More than 32 2 0.5
Education
Undergraduate 336 80.4
Graduate 62 14.8 Table 1.
Post graduate 13 3.1 Demographic
Others 7 1.7 profile (N 5 418)
MEQ Items Loadings Cronbach’s alpha Composite reliability Average variance extracted
33,5
ATT ATT1 0.639
ATT2 0.842
ATT3 0.775 0.827 0.879 0.595
ATT4 0.812
ATT5 0.773
1258 EA EA1 0.719
EA2 0.702
EA3 0.746 0.836 0.879 0.548
EA4 0.698
EA5 0.803
EA6 0.767
EC EC1 0.654
EC2 0.768
EC3 0.807 0.788 0.854 0.541
EC4 0.774
EC5 0.660
FSC FSC1 0.721
FSC2 0.734 0.749 0.815 0.524
FSC3 0.733
FSC4 0.708
HC HC1 0.744
HC2 0.771
HC3 0.717 0.780 0.849 0.530
HC4 0.695
HC5 0.711
NAC NAC1 0.876 0.721 0.877 0.782
NAC2 0.892
NUC NUC1 0.877 0.668 0.857 0.750
NUC2 0.855
PI PI1 0.666
PI2 0.777 0.775 0.856 0.600
PI3 0.810
PI4 0.834
SA SA1 0.732
SA2 0.846 0.749 0.856 0.667
SA3 0.865
SC SC1 0.732
SC2 0.742
SC3 0.822 0.844 0.889 0.617
SC4 0.799
SC5 0.826
Table 2. Note(s): ATT 5 Attitude; EA 5 Environmental Awareness; EC 5 Environmental Concern; FSC 5 Food
Measurement model Safety Concern; HC 5 Health Consciousness; NAC 5 Natural Content; NUC 5 Nutritional Content;
results PI 5 Purchase Intention; SA 5 Sensorial Appeal; SC 5 Social Consciousness

study’s model, scholars are required to evaluate individual items’ reliability, internal
consistency, content validity, convergent and discriminant validity (Raza et al., 2021).
In PLS, the internal consistency among items was measured through Cronbach’s alpha.
As per the rule of thumb set by Nunnally (1978), alpha value should be greater than 0.55 or 0.7.
As seen in Table 2, the score ranges from 0.668 to 0.844, according to the acceptance criterion,
and concludes that the present study adequately meets the standard for item reliability.
Meanwhile, convergent and discriminant validity were measured. Convergent validity was
assessed through composite reliability and average variance extracted. The value of
composite reliability ranged from 0.815 to 0.889, which implies that all variables fulfill the Youngsters’
recommended criterion of 0.7 and higher (Bagozzi and Yi, 1988; Khaskheli et al., 2020) and intention
concludes that the measures have sufficient reliability. Furthermore, according to the rule of
thumb, AVE’s value should be equal to 0.5 or above (Fornell and Larcker, 1981; Qazi et al.,
towards
2020). As seen from outcomes, a study demonstrated an acceptable range for AVE. All organic food
variables have individual reliability greater than 0.5, according to acceptable criterion
provided by Churchill (1979), and concludes that each loading should be greater than 0.7 and
loadings. Loadings higher than 0.7 approve of instrument reliability. Hence, convergent 1259
validity has been supported, and now we analyze discriminant validity.
The discriminant validity was assessed through cross-loadings analysis, AVE and
HTMT. According to Fornell and Larcker (1981), AVE’s square root for each construct should
be greater than the relationship between construct and other model constructs. Therefore as
shown in Table 3, all construct’s diagonal values are greater than off-diagonal values.
Furthermore, it was ensured that cross-loadings of indicators must be higher than any other
opposing hypotheses (Hair et al., 2012). As seen in Table 4, the stated criterion was fulfilled.
Also, for evaluating discriminant validity, the HTMT test was used as it is more robust than
other methods. According to Hair et al. (2018), the value of HTMT should be less than 0.85 or
0.9. Table 5 indicates that HTMT ratio scores were all less than the stated criterion indicating
discriminant validity was achieved (Raza et al., 2020b).

4.2 Structural model

After completion of the first stage of PLS-SEM, that is assessing the measurement model, we
now assess the structural model for testing hypothetical relations between constructs by
using SEM analysis. The structural model is the model that relates latent variables to each
other and can be analyzed through standardized regression paths (Ali and Raza, 2017). Path
coefficient provides outcomes of the structural model. The path coefficient’s significance was
measured through the bootstrapping method. Table 6 demonstrates findings of regression
analysis which specifies direct relationships between variables. However, Table 7
demonstrates the moderating role of environmental awareness among attitudes and
purchase intentions of young consumers for organic food. The criterion for a hypothesis to
get accepted is that the p-value should not be greater than 0.01 (1%) or 0.05 (5%) or 0.1 (10%).
As seen in Table 6, all proposed hypotheses were supported except H6 and H7 which show
negative and insignificant effect.

ATT EA EC FSC HC NAC NUC PI SA SC

ATT 0.771
EA 0.716 0.740
EC 0.035 0.003 0.735
FSC 0.039 0.029 0.411 0.724
HC 0.044 0.065 0.606 0.474 0.728
NAC 0.020 0.035 0.435 0.439 0.532 0.884
NUC 0.072 0.066 0.590 0.458 0.587 0.646 0.866
PI 0.702 0.705 0.003 0.011 0.042 0.008 0.019 0.775
SA 0.039 0.087 0.492 0.405 0.593 0.467 0.525 0.071 0.816
SC 0.061 0.069 0.563 0.553 0.631 0.619 0.611 0.072 0.701 0.785
Note(s): ATT 5 Attitude; EA 5 Environmental Awareness; EC 5 Environmental Concern; FSC 5 Food Table 3.
Safety Concern; HC 5 Health Consciousness; NAC 5 Natural Content; NUC 5 Nutritional Content; Fornell-Larcker
PI 5 Purchase Intention; SA 5 Sensorial Appeal; SC 5 Social Consciousness criterion
 33,5
MEQ

loadings
1260

Table 4.
Loadings and cross
ATT EA EC FSC HC NAC NUC PI SA SC

ATT1 0.639 0.432 0.019 0.007 0.035 0.008 0.017 0.447 0.001 0.021
ATT2 0.842 0.574 0.061 0.006 0.051 0.006 0.029 0.600 0.041 0.062
ATT3 0.775 0.576 0.015 0.043 0.075 0.057 0.080 0.511 0.075 0.060
ATT4 0.812 0.597 0.054 0.051 0.050 0.001 0.082 0.610 0.013 0.041
ATT5 0.773 0.568 0.025 0.042 0.013 0.024 0.065 0.518 0.018 0.047
EA1 0.530 0.719 0.017 0.008 0.039 0.053 0.084 0.541 0.048 0.067
EA2 0.497 0.702 0.034 0.008 0.007 0.078 0.081 0.485 0.044 0.087
EA3 0.514 0.746 0.004 0.013 0.013 0.009 0.057 0.526 0.051 0.033
EA4 0.509 0.698 0.062 0.075 0.102 0.023 0.064 0.517 0.108 0.070
EA5 0.556 0.803 0.032 0.038 0.072 0.011 0.033 0.641 0.078 0.022
EA6 0.564 0.767 0.015 0.025 0.049 0.003 0.003 0.777 0.060 0.041
EC1 0.057 0.009 0.654 0.250 0.285 0.250 0.402 0.038 0.237 0.303
EC2 0.008 0.059 0.768 0.279 0.389 0.258 0.405 0.030 0.284 0.368
EC3 0.038 0.028 0.807 0.293 0.488 0.270 0.400 0.002 0.313 0.391
EC4 0.024 0.006 0.774 0.278 0.546 0.361 0.513 0.007 0.342 0.385
EC5 0.013 0.048 0.660 0.381 0.452 0.412 0.430 0.000 0.555 0.560
FSC1 0.038 0.047 0.233 0.721 0.231 0.098 0.139 0.049 0.154 0.235
FSC2 0.034 0.004 0.230 0.734 0.247 0.068 0.182 0.005 0.198 0.237
FSC3 0.033 0.001 0.204 0.733 0.254 0.103 0.201 0.009 0.246 0.271
FSC4 0.019 0.032 0.397 0.708 0.473 0.624 0.540 0.008 0.415 0.602
HC1 0.034 0.025 0.439 0.412 0.744 0.528 0.496 0.003 0.603 0.629
HC2 0.004 0.062 0.442 0.358 0.771 0.333 0.439 0.028 0.368 0.373
HC3 0.015 0.055 0.426 0.272 0.717 0.324 0.360 0.053 0.332 0.355
HC4 0.062 0.031 0.445 0.263 0.695 0.298 0.392 0.036 0.397 0.329
HC5 0.048 0.069 0.456 0.390 0.711 0.406 0.426 0.044 0.403 0.544
NAC1 0.014 0.001 0.422 0.374 0.446 0.876 0.559 0.010 0.432 0.538
NAC2 0.048 0.061 0.349 0.402 0.494 0.892 0.582 0.023 0.395 0.556
NUC1 0.018 0.033 0.471 0.428 0.502 0.681 0.877 0.031 0.477 0.573
NUC2 0.110 0.083 0.555 0.363 0.516 0.428 0.855 0.068 0.431 0.481
PI1 0.561 0.490 0.013 0.023 0.046 0.030 0.009 0.666 0.052 0.084
PI2 0.532 0.705 0.004 0.028 0.038 0.002 0.012 0.777 0.066 0.066
PI3 0.550 0.628 0.025 0.024 0.044 0.057 0.034 0.810 0.065 0.043

(continued )
 ATT EA EC FSC HC NAC NUC PI SA SC

PI4 0.542 0.648 0.017 0.038 0.006 0.010 0.004 0.834 0.035 0.036
SA1 0.001 0.039 0.433 0.289 0.384 0.299 0.373 0.043 0.732 0.508
SA2 0.026 0.084 0.378 0.331 0.533 0.404 0.409 0.089 0.846 0.555
SA3 0.061 0.085 0.406 0.367 0.522 0.428 0.494 0.040 0.865 0.645
SC1 0.055 0.075 0.448 0.379 0.544 0.467 0.452 0.075 0.484 0.732
SC2 0.033 0.048 0.496 0.359 0.484 0.503 0.491 0.027 0.460 0.742
SC3 0.030 0.038 0.386 0.537 0.524 0.527 0.508 0.031 0.580 0.822
SC4 0.053 0.047 0.426 0.389 0.444 0.428 0.475 0.056 0.622 0.799
SC5 0.067 0.064 0.465 0.491 0.490 0.508 0.475 0.093 0.594 0.826
Note(s): ATT 5 Attitude; EA 5 Environmental Awareness; EC 5 Environmental Concern; FSC 5 Food Safety Concern; HC 5 Health Consciousness; NAC 5 Natural
Content; NUC 5 Nutritional Content; PI 5 Purchase Intention; SA 5 Sensorial Appeal; SC 5 Social Consciousness
intention
organic food
towards

1261
Youngsters’

Table 4.
MEQ ATT EA EC FSC HC NAC NUC PI SA SC
33,5
ATT
EA 0.856
EC 0.077 0.078
FSC 0.061 0.059 0.453
HC 0.078 0.095 0.749 0.516
1262 NAC 0.055 0.078 0.561 0.402 0.690
NUC 0.118 0.110 0.809 0.497 0.804 0.738
PI 0.878 0.836 0.047 0.070 0.075 0.048 0.087
SA 0.057 0.113 0.619 0.447 0.749 0.630 0.736 0.100
SC 0.075 0.090 0.672 0.556 0.757 0.794 0.812 0.095 0.875
Table 5. Note(s): ATT 5 Attitude; EA 5 Environmental Awareness; EC 5 Environmental Concern; FSC 5 Food
Heterotrait-Monotrait Safety Concern; HC 5 Health Consciousness; NAC 5 Natural Content; NUC 5 Nutritional Content;
ratio (HTMT) PI 5 Purchase Intention; SA 5 Sensorial Appeal; SC 5 Social Consciousness

Hypothesis Regression path Effect-type SRW Remarks

H1a FSC → HC Direct effect 0.124*** Supported

H1b FSC → SC Direct effect 0.198*** Supported
H2a NAC → HC Direct effect 0.147*** Supported
H2b NAC → SC Direct effect 0.233*** Supported
H3a NUC → HC Direct effect 0.123** Supported
H3b NUC → SC Direct effect 0.076 Supported
H4a EC → HC Direct effect 0.290*** Supported
H4b EC → SC Direct effect 0.137*** Supported
H5a SA → HC Direct effect 0.269*** Supported
H5b SA → SC Direct effect 0.403*** Supported
H6 HC → ATT Direct effect 0.007 Not supported
H7 SC → ATT Direct effect 0.058 Not supported
H8 ATT → PI Direct effect 0.241*** Supported
Note(s): FSC 5 Food Safety Concern; HC 5 Health Consciousness; SC 5 Social Consciousness;
Table 6. NAC 5 Natural Content; NUC 5 Nutritional Content; EC 5 Environmental Concern; SA 5 Sensorial
Results of path Appeal; ATT 5 Attitude; PI 5 Purchase Intention; SRW 5 Standardized Regression Weights; ***denotes
analysis significance at 1%, **denotes significance at 5%

Hypothesis Regression path Effect-type SRW Remarks

Table 7.
Moderating role of H9 ATT → PI Indirect effect 0.043*** Supported
environmental Note(s): ATT 5 Attitude; PI 5 Purchase Intention; SRW 5 Standardized Regression Weights; ***denotes
awareness significance at 1%

4.3 Discussion
Bootstrapping method (5,000 subsamples) has been used for evaluating hypotheses. Findings
supported H1a and H1b, which means food safety concern significantly relates to the health
and social consciousness of young consumers. Outcomes were in line with the findings of
Molinillo et al. (2020), which concludes that as consumers are health conscious and have
safety concerns, therefore, they avoid consuming foods that contain chemical substances
which may impact their health and therefore always consume organic foods. Moreover,
consumers with social conscience trust local production more and buy organic products to Youngsters’
protect their families. The results also supported H2a and H2b, which indicates that natural intention
content positively links with health and social consciousness. Findings were consistent with
Laroche et al.’s (2001) study and concludes that health-conscious consumers buy organic
towards
foods because it is made up of natural components (i.e. without chemicals) which do not affect organic food
their health. Furthermore, according to the study of Seyfang (2006), natural content is
positively associated with social consciousness because native properties of food positively
impact the family and community environments. Moreover, findings support H3a, indicating 1263
that nutritional content is positively associated with health consciousness (Bazzani et al.,
2020). Health-conscious consumers buy those products having nutritional labeling as such
products are good for their health and can help them maintain a healthy weight. However,
findings do not support H3b, which means that nutritional content does not influence young
consumers’ social consciousness. The findings conclude that although nutritional knowledge
makes consumers aware of consuming organic foods as they contain healthy nutrients,
people still choose products that are not naturally processed as they consider that it is
emotionally and socially too risky (e.g. “not cool”) display concern in healthy eating. Findings
also show that H4a and H4b were supported, indicating that environmental concern
positively relates to health consciousness and social consciousness. Findings were consistent
with Laroche et al. (2001) study, which concludes that the more environment-friendly an
individual is, the more he/she will be concerned about their health and choice of food.
Furthermore, consumers having awareness issues about protection of the environment have
a positive behavior towards society and have higher social consciousness, as suggested by
Hwang (2016) in his study. Another finding obtained from this study shows that sensory
appeal is positively related to health and social consciousness; therefore H5a and H5b were
supported. The findings were similar to the study of Cicia et al. (2009) and conclude that
organic product consumers relate their health to food characteristics such as taste and
appearance of a product and perceive that they gain personal well-being through the sensory
appeal of organic foods. Also, sensorial appeal relates to social consciousness as consumers
want to protect their families by providing organic food, which is beneficial for their health
(Padel and Foster, 2005).
The findings do not support H6; health consciousness is not positively associated with
attitude. Findings were in line with study of Hsu et al. (2016) conclude that health
consciousness and attitude show an insignificant negative relation. The findings
conclude that consumers emphasizing on health consciousness do not necessarily
consider organic food to be the best choice; thus, they are least interested in purchasing
organic foods.
The findings demonstrate that social consciousness has a negative and insignificant
relationship with attitude; thus, H7 is not supported. The findings contradicted those of
Molinillo et al. (2020), who found that consumers’ social consciousness motivates them to
engage in more positive, deliberate behavior toward organic food. Furthermore, findings also
examined the association between attitude and purchase intention. Results show that attitude
has a positive influence on young consumers’ purchase intention for organic food; thus, H8 is
supported. The findings were similar to those of He et al. (2019) and point out that attitude is
the most important factor in predicting purchase intension of consumers’ towards green food.
It has been shown that the more positive a consumer’s purchasing behavior is, the greater the
consumer’s intension to behave within their control will be (Maichum et al., 2016).
In this study, the moderating influence of environmental awareness was also investigated.
According to findings, environmental awareness appears to moderate the relationship
between young consumers attitude and purchase intention for organic food. Youth and
society are becoming increasingly concerned about environmental sustainability. Thus, the
moderating effect of environmental awareness was supported and showed significant
MEQ 0.124***
Environmental
Food Safety
33,5 Concern
Awareness
0.198***

0.147*** Health –0.007 –0.043***

Natural
Content Consciousness
0.233***

1264 0.123**
Attitude Purchase
Nutritional
0.076 0.241*** Intention
Content
0.290***
Social
Environmental
0.137*** Consciousness –0.058
Concern
0.269***

Sensorial 0.403***
Appeal

Figure 2. Note(s): ***denotes significance at 1%

Results of regression
analysis
**denotes significance at 5%
Source(s): Author’s Construction

results. The findings were in line with the study of Yi (2019), which found that environmental
awareness moderates the association between attitude and behavioral intention. Our study
findings implied that consumers having awareness regarding organic foods would be more
likely to consume organic foods than those with less awareness. Thus, Figure 2 shows that
the association between attitude and purchase intention will be more when environmental
awareness is high.

5. Conclusion & recommendations

5.1 Conclusion
This study intends to analyze how health and social consciousness impact young consumers’
purchase intention towards organic foods with moderating role of environmental awareness.
Data has been gathered from university students through questionnaires, and for testing
hypotheses, PLS-SEM was employed. Findings verify that all drivers positively influence the
health and social consciousness of young consumers. However, the relationship between both
health and social consciousness and attitude was not supported. Furthermore, attitude is
positively associated with organic food purchase intention. Also, findings suggest that
environmental awareness influences young consumers’ purchase intention towards
organic food.

5.2 Managerial implications

The present study offers numerous implications for marketers, policymakers and socio-
ecological organizations regarding the development of intervention strategies to promote
the purchase of organic foods. First, to increase young consumers’ purchase frequency,
rational aspects need to be incorporated by businesses into their communication
strategies, such as organic products’ health and social benefits. It is important to illustrate
such products’ contribution to health (e.g. the safety of food, natural content and
nutrition). Moreover, the knowledge provided through labeling and media must be clear
and valued to the consumer. Second, consumers must be aware of organic foods’
advantages over traditional foods to convince them why organic food is costlier than
conventional food. Third, educational programs must be implemented as they are Youngsters’
effective in influencing young consumers’ concern for the environment and their attitude. intention
These programs must offer rich and authentic evidence regarding the organic farming
procedure, nutritional facts and environmental benefits. Moreover, awareness should be
towards
created regarding eating organic food and this will, in turn, impact consumers’ purchase organic food
intention and sales volume of organic food. Furthermore, information regarding the
consumption and production of organic foods should be conveyed through events such as
celebrity or specialist talks. Even though young consumers are aware of organic 1265
products, their knowledge about a concept is limited. Therefore, more awareness
campaigns have to be undertaken. The information regarding price, quality, social
affiliation and emotional appeal should delivered by food authorities by providing youth
knowledge as they are our society’s future. Similarly, NCDs causes, like consuming toxic
food, must be highlighted in these campaigns. Furthermore, consumers purchase organic
food as they perceive it to be safer and healthy due to certification and health labeling by
authorities of food or government institutions. Lastly, in Pakistan, organic foods are
available in large and selective supermarts. Thus, making organic foods more accessible
and pocket-friendly to all consumers could increase organic food consumption. Product
prices and its availability send positive signals to encourage consumer preferences for
organic food. Also, promotional strategies such as free samples can influence consumers’
intentions to purchase organic food.

5.3 Limitations and directions for future research

Although several contributions have been made in this research, it does have some several
limitations that future researchers can work to address. Firstly, this research only measures
organic food purchasing intention and does not measure actual buying behavior. However,
prior studies confirmed that intention positively correlates with actual behavior (Akbar et al.,
2019). Therefore, in future studies, actual buying behavior along with intention can also be
incorporated. Another limitation is that study is only limited to Pakistan’s consumers; future
studies should include cross-cultural samples to deepen this phenomenon. Third,
environmental awareness’s moderating role has been investigated; however other
moderators such as food neophobia, food involvement, perceived value, gender, income
can also be incorporated in future studies. Fourth, the sampling procedure limits the ability of
the study to generalize findings. Therefore, random sampling can be employed to improve the
sample’s representativeness. Lastly, organic food consumption is measured in general. At the
same time, past studies revealed that consumption of organic food contains a wide range of
by-products, that is organic fruit, meat, milk and so on, possibly restricting the
generalizability of findings. Consumer intention and behavior toward several organic food
products can be evaluated and contrasted in future studies.

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Further reading
Yue, B., Sheng, G., She, S. and Xu, J. (2020), “Impact of consumer environmental responsibility on
green consumption behavior in China: the role of environmental concern and price sensitivity”,
Sustainability, Vol. 12 No. 5, p. 2074.

Corresponding author
Asadullah Khaskheli can be contacted at: asadullahkhas@hotmail.com

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