Understanding anti-consumption and consumer reluctance toward foreign agri-food products: country of origin and perceived value in times of image crisis

M. Mar Serrano-Arcos, Raquel Sánchez-Fernández and Juan Carlos Pérez-Mesa

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: Purpose – Globalization has increased the importance of understanding consumer behavior, including anticonsumption tendencies, toward agri-food products, particularly in contexts where a sector or country faces an image crisis. This study aims to identify the key factors influencing consumer reluctance to buy (RTB) foreign agri-food products – a form of anti-consumption – with a specific focus on the role of country of origin in decision-making. By analyzing these variables, the research seeks to provide insights that can help businesses and policymakers develop more effective strategies to address consumer concerns and improve market positioning. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model is proposed suggesting that RTB foreign agri-food products can be mitigated by consumer affinity toward a foreign country and other key variables such as country image and perceived value, counteracting consumer ethnocentrism, notably when image crises affect a country product. The empirical study focuses on the Spanish agri-food sector, using data from 335 German consumers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships within the model. Findings – Results indicate that affinity toward a foreign country and perceived value significantly reduce RTB offoreign agri-food products, whereas consumer ethnocentrism increases RTB. Moreover, the study reveals that image crises moderate these relationships. Originality/value – This study provides original insights by investigating the agri-food sector and the nuanced impact of country image and consumer affinity in mitigating RTB, a manifestation of potential anticonsumption, within this context. Notably, it offers novel empirical evidence on how image crises concerning a country-product dynamically moderate the influence of these key variables.

Keywords: Reluctance to buy; Consumer affinity; Country image; Perceived value; Ethnocentrism; Image crises; Anti-consumption; Agri-food sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M31 Q13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-02-21, Revised 2025-05-18
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mac
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Published in British Food Journal 13.127(2025): pp. 693-718

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:126728

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