Abstract:
The rapid growth of the frozen meat sector in Asia-Pacific highlights a gap in
understanding consumer motivations and purchasing intentions, emphasizing the
need to align products and strategies with market demands. Hence, this research
examined the determinants of consumers’ purchase intentions for frozen meat in the
Badulla district of Sri Lanka, based on an extended version of the Theory of Planned
Behavior (TPB) as the foundational framework. A structured questionnaire was
developed and the questionnaire was validated through a pilot study to assess clarity,
reliability, and internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. Data were collected
from a sample of 182 supermarket shoppers. The sample size was determined based
on guidelines for structural equation modeling (SEM), which recommend a
minimum of 100 respondents. The analysis was conducted using SEM via SPSS
version 22.0 and AMOS version 26.0 software. The SEM model achieved a good
fit as evidenced by a CFI - 0.959, GFI - 0.934, and RMR- 0.019 indicating strong
alignment with observed data. The analysis focuses on key determinants, including
consumer attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and food safety
concerns encompassing contamination risks, hygiene standards, and characteristics
of frozen meat such as quality and texture. Results revealed that consumer attitude,
food safety concerns and frozen meat characteristics significantly influence (CI
95%) purchase intention. The factor loadings for attitude (β=0.204, p<0.01), food
safety concerns (β=0.313, p<0.001), and frozen meat characteristics (β=0.246,
p<0.001) demonstrated strong correlations, underscoring the importance consumers
place on these aspects when deciding to purchase frozen meat products. This study
guides producers in aligning marketing and quality with consumer expectations,
emphasizing attitudes and safety concerns in purchase decisions. Ultimately, this
research helps stakeholders enhance consumer satisfaction and loyalty in a
competitive market.
