Are green consumers really green? Exploring the factors behind the actual consumption of organic food products

Abstract The increasing interest in sustainable consumption has lead several scholars to investigate the determinants that drive the consumption of organic food. Most of this research is based on consumers' self‐reports of their purchasing behavior by exploring declared behavioral intentions. There is a lack of understanding concerning the determinants of organic food consumption based on actual purchasing behavior. To fill this gap, this study is based on a combination of actual purchasing data and self‐reported data from a sample of 79 Italian consumers. The determinants of organic food consumption are explored by analyzing the effects of subjective norms, attitude, perceived behavioral control, intention to buy, organic knowledge, and health consciousness on actual purchasing behavior. Our results suggest that actual purchasing behavior is positively influenced by intention to buy and negatively by subjective norms. Although attitude towards buying organics is positively affected by health consciousness and perceived behavioral control, consumer knowledge about organics is found to influence purchase intentions. Theoretical and managerial implications, along with avenues for future research, are discussed.