Explanatory factors for the purchase of local food in a context of global environmental and economic uncertainty: An application of the stimulus-organism-response model

In recent years, a growing number of consumers have become aware that they can use their purchasing behaviour to promote environmental sustainability. This trend explains the prominent role of local food purchasing and the academic attention paid to such behaviour. However, academics studying local food have called for deeper analysis of the antecedent factors in decisions to purchase such products. The present study addresses this gap by considering, in an uncertain global context, the explanatory role of elements related to environmental and economic issues. The study applies the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model as its theoretical framework to explain, for the first time in the literature, the possible influence of consumers’ economic and environmental consciousness (stimulus) on their assessment of the price and environmental character of local food (organism), and on their stated local food purchasing behaviour (response). It also assesses the simultaneous relationships that may arise between the representative elements of the organism and the response.

The study focuses on consumers who live on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. It follows a quantitative methodological approach using structural equation models. The results confirm that environmental factors predominate in decisions to purchase local food. However, consumer economic consciousness and assessment of local food prices were not determinant factors in this behaviour. The findings also uncover new relationships between consumers’ characteristics and their purchase of local food. In conclusion, in a global context of environmental and economic uncertainty, environmental issues appear to be the key factor in explaining local food purchasing behaviour.