Does health consciousness matter? Factors influencing consumer buying behavior of organic food products through an extended theory of planned behavior

Purpose Sustainable consumption has been an area of research under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-12), but people’s perception that organic products are expensive and are skeptical about their benefits are always the barriers. Hence, the purpose of this study is to identify the factors influencing the buying behavior of organic food products in Klang Valley, Malaysia, using the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), where the influence of attitude, subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC) and green advertising (GA) on the consumption of organic products, with health consciousness (HC) as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative research through the online questionnaire was distributed using purposive sampling with 183 valid responses collected. Findings The results of structural equation modeling revealed that attitude, PBC, and GA had a positive and significant impact on the buying behavior of organic food products. However, the subjective norm is not significantly related. In addition, the moderating role of HC was only established between GA and consumer buying behavior, but it weakened the relationship. Practical implications The study provides prodigious strategies for the owners of organic products and the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) to strategies for their green message and highlight the health benefits of organic food products to consumers at large. Originality/value The study contributed to the sustainable marketing scholarship by incorporating GA and HC to expand the TPB, which is unique in a single framework in emerging markets.