Blockchain-based food traceability system and pro-environmental consumption: A moderated mediation model of technology anxiety and trust in organic food product

Abstract

Blockchain technology is increasingly recognized as a transformative tool for enhancing clarity and responsibility in the organic food supply chain, where concerns about product authenticity and safety are paramount. By offering provable and translucent information about the origination, production processes, and administration of organic items, blockchain helps to reduce information asymmetry and builds consumer trust, which is critical for purchase decisions in the organic food market. Drawing on insights from the trust theory and the stimulus-organism-response framework, this study uses a moderated mediation model to explore how technology anxiety negatively moderates the direct and indirect influences of blockchain-based food traceability systems on trust in organic food products and organic food purchase intention. Using a targeted sample of 5326 consumers in Vietnam, the PROCESS macro approach (models 8 and 4) is utilized to examine the formulated hypotheses. The results demonstrate that blockchain-based food traceability systems notably enhance consumer trust in organic food products and their intention to buy these products. Trust in organic food products serves as a mediator in the connection between blockchain-based traceability and purchase intention, while technology anxiety weakens the positive impacts of blockchain technology on trust and purchase intention when anxiety levels are high. This research makes crucial contributions to the literature by offering a mechanism-based explanation of how blockchain technology enhances consumer trust in organic food products and integrates technological anxiety as a moderator, providing a deeper understanding of how technological innovations shape consumer behavior. In light of the findings, several critical recommendations have been proposed for practitioners and policymakers.