Sustainable Food Choices: Understanding the Adoption of Modern Vegetarian Meals

Modern vegetarian meals (MVM) have attracted a large number of urban residents in Vietnam. However, no research has explored the intention to choose MVM, which has created a large gap in theory. Therefore, this study focuses on exploring the motivations behind the continued intention to choose MVM. Data was collected through a direct survey of 349 participants. Analysis of the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling indicates that the benefits of MVM are significant predictors of the continued intention to choose MVM, mediated by global motives toward MVM. This study makes many meaningful contributions to plant-based consumption theory. Firstly, the key contribution of this study lies in demonstrating that the Behavioral Reasoning Theory effectively predicts behavioral intention. More importantly, the findings reveal that psychological health benefits (PsyH) have a statistically significant influence on attitude towards MVM, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This represents a novel contribution, as PsyH has rarely been examined in previous quantitative studies based on these theoretical frameworks. In practical terms, this study provides the foundations for developing more comprehensive communication, education policies, and interventions to promote MVM choice in the community. The main research limitation includes a convenient sample selection method and a focus on MVM instead of other forms of vegetarian choices.