Consumption of Plant-Based Meat as an Alternative to Animal Meat: Empirical Evidence on Behavioral Intentions
Deena Al-Kalbania, Mohammed Al Rizeiqib, Mohammad Rezaur Razzakc, Ismail M. Al Bulushia, Adil S. Al-Busaidid, I. Khana, Pankaj B. Patharee
- aDepartment of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
- bInnovation and Technology Transfer Center, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman AND Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
- cDepartment of Management, College of Economics and Political Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
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Abstract
Empirical evidence indicates that rising consumption of animal meat negatively could contribute to climate change and public health. As a result, meat alternatives such as plant-based meat (PBM) have emerged as a potential solution. However, there seems to be a dearth of insights regarding significant drivers of people’s behavioral intentions (BI) towards PBM. This study leverages the theory of planned behavior to determine whether attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control influence BI towards PBM. Survey data was collected from 380 respondents in Oman to test the relationships between the constructs in the research framework. The results indicated that attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were all significant drivers of intentions to consume PBM (P < 0.05). Moreover, the R-square values suggest that 52.32% of the variation in BI was accounted for by the three independent variables in the framework. This study is among the scant number of empirical studies that contribute to the literature on plant-based meat consumption behavior by deploying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to provide evidence that attitude of consumers towards PBM, their social influences, and their own ability to control their thoughts and behavior, all drive their intentions towards switching from traditional meat to plant based meat. The study is useful in promoting public health and nutrition and nutrition strategy in Oman.