School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Oklahoma State University, 365 Human Sciences, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA.
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Oklahoma State University, 365 Human Sciences, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA.
Appetite. 2021 Aug 1;163:105205. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105205. Epub 2021 Mar 24.
Suboptimal food is defined as physically imperfect food product that deviates from the normal visual standards without intrinsic quality or safety concerns. The forms of suboptimal food can be visual (e.g., cosmetic appearance), temporal (e.g., close to or past expiration date), or peripheral (e.g., superficially damaged packaging). This study aimed to identify the salient inferential determinants, attitudinal determinants, and behavioral intentions toward the three suboptimal food types and to evaluate the associations between the determinants and consumers' behavioral intentions. Results from an experimental research showed that consumers associated temporally suboptimal food with the highest financial loss and discard intentions, yet lowest moral concerns. This research also revealed that consumers regarded peripherally (damaged package) suboptimal food with lower taste perception compared to conventional food. Moreover, consistent association patterns appeared between a certain set of inferential and attitudinal determinants and distinctive behavioral intentions across the three suboptimal types.
次优食品是指在外观上存在缺陷，但不存在内在质量或安全问题的食品。次优食品的形式有视觉上的（如外观不佳）、时间上的（如接近或超过保质期）或周边的（如包装表面受损）。本研究旨在确定消费者对三种次优食品类型的主要推理决定因素、态度决定因素和行为意向，并评估这些决定因素与消费者行为意向之间的关系。实验研究结果表明，消费者认为时间上的次优食品会带来最高的经济损失和丢弃意愿，但道德顾虑最低。本研究还表明，消费者认为周边（包装受损）次优食品的口感比传统食品差。此外，在三种次优类型中，一组特定的推理和态度决定因素与不同的行为意向之间存在一致的关联模式。
