The Influence of Chemical Risk Communication on Consumer Behavior in Purchasing Foods: A Psychological Study

Abstract

Consumers prefer a nutritious and delicious diet which is natural. Hence, they pay attention to research which focuses on chemical added food and risks involved in such consumption. Communication media plays a major role in deciding consumer willingness. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the influence of chemical risk communication on consumer behavior in purchasing foods. A qualitative and quantitative research method has been followed by the author to collect data, and questionnaires and in-depth interviews have been used to collect data. Data obtained are analyzed using SPSS for quantitative data whereas; the qualitative data is analyzed thematically. The data were collected from 100 Householders in the Badulla district. This study analyses the problem of how the messages on health risk influence consumer psychological behavior in purchasing food. The main objective of this research is to identify how the messages on health risk due to chemical additives in food influence the psychological behavior of consumers in purchasing food. The findings of the study reveal that consumers are not clear about the term, organic. The major factor that inhibited people from buying organic food was the high price. A majority of respondents had expressed interest in healthy and nutritionally rich food as well as environmental concerns and sustainability. Ultimately this study indicated that consumer awareness effectively advances the demand for organic products. It could be concluded that adoption of proper awareness programs would help in promoting the organic product consumption.