Purpose: What influences, determines, and drives decisions of shoppers that self-report purchasing meat and poultry raised without the use of antibiotics? Prior studies have been conducted to elucidate understanding of consumer purchasing, but no study has specifically looked at whether and how preventing antibiotic resistance emergence is a possible motivator in meat and poultry purchasing decisions.
Methods: Using a systematic qualitative study approach, of grounded theory in research design, embedded in the social constructivist paradigm, this research uncovers decision-process and motivation phenomenon that consumers have when specifically buying meat and poultry raised without antibiotics. Social media was used to recruit individuals (n=148) for recorded phone interviews. Random sampling of respondents and saturation in identifying themes, interviews of consumers that already engage in this behavior were used in data analysis. QSR NVivo 10 software was used to uncover themes in purchasing phenomenon.
Results: Purchasing decisions by this subset of consumers go beyond utilitarian and incorporate hedonic, altruistic, and trust as motivators in behavior adoption. A temporality of behavior change starts with awareness, which then incorporates perceptions and motivations, and finally leads to permanent behavior adoption. Uncovering adoption phenomenon, three themes emerged. First, each consumer experienced a “tipping point.” A second phenomenon identifiable was an element of altruism. And, third all consumers held “trust” in the products that they were purchasing.
Significance: Meat and poultry producers may believe that food safety, convenience, economic motivators and labeling are all primary influences in a consumers purchasing decision. This study illuminates how awareness, perception, and motivation to public health factors, previously unexamined, lend permanent shifts in purchasing behaviors.