Nutrition and Nature: Means-End Theory in Crafting Sustainable and Health-Conscious Meal Kit Experiences

Damla Sonmez () and Scott Taylor
Additional contact information
Damla Sonmez: College of Hospitality, Retail & Sport Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Scott Taylor: College of Hospitality, Retail & Sport Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Meal kits have become increasingly popular as a convenient solution for consumers seeking to prepare high-quality meals at home, falling under the ready-to-cook category. The rising number of subscriptions and the growing presence of companies offering meal kit services illustrate the popularity of this industry. The aims of this study include (a) identifying consumer perceptions of the health and sustainability aspects of meal kit services; (b) exploring how these perceptions influence consumer satisfaction; (c) examining the influence of consumer satisfaction on the intention to repurchase meal kits and recommend them to others; and (d) investigating potential significant differences among meal kit users with dietary, health, and environmental concerns. This exploration encompasses the effects of meal kits’ attributes on each group’s perceived value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. The partial least squares technique was utilized to test the research model using SmartPLS 4. Results of the current study support findings of past research suggesting that consumer perceptions of sustainability and healthiness positively influence their satisfaction and consequently their behavioral intentions. The findings of this study also offer practical implications for meal kit companies. Since consumer satisfaction is significantly influenced by both perceived healthiness and sustainability, companies should re-consider their branding strategies by focusing more on environmentally friendly advertising that makes connections between their attributes.

Keywords: meal kit; sustainability; healthiness; consumer behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/8/3327/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/8/3327/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:8:p:3327-:d:1376586

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().