Estudo dos fatores que influenciam no comportamento de compra e consumo de produtos plant-based

Abstract

In recent years, food trends such as plant-based (food based on plants/vegetables) have gained significant space in the consumer market, this is mainly due to changes in people's behavior and lifestyle in relation to the purchasing and consumption process of the products. In this sense, the aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior, perception and factors that influence the purchasing and consumption process of vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian consumers (people who consume mostly vegetable-based products, reducing food consumption of animal origin) on plant-based products. To this end, an online survey was carried out using the Google Forms tool with the participation of 153 consumers of plant-based products. This was divided into 2 stages: (I) market research (analysis of demographic aspects, factors that influence the purchase intention and consumption of plant-based products, and perception of the healthiness of ingredients and additives used in vegetable drinks by vegetarian consumers , vegans and flexitarians); (II) joint analysis of factors (Conjoint Analysis), evaluating the influence of the factors type of additive, length of the list of ingredients and type of descriptor in the perception of healthiness and purchase intention of vegetable beverages. Statistical data were evaluated through qualitative and quantitative analysis using SPSS 20.0 and SAS® OnDemand for Academics software. The results of the market research demonstrated that the sociodemographic profile of the participants (gender, age group, education and family income) is in line with the aspects of consumers who are adept at plant-based eating, with the majority being female, young and with high schooling. In addition, when evaluating the factors that influence the purchase and consumption of products, it was found that for vegetarians and vegans, ethics with animals and socio-environmental issues are significantly more important when choosing their food than for flexitarians, who considered the health and well-being factor to be of greater importance for the consumption of products. When evaluating the healthiness of the ingredients and additives used in vegetable drinks, consumers perceived most of the ingredients as healthy, with the exception of sugar, which was evaluated with a high perception of unhealthy, while in relation to most of the additives (sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, gums and flavorings) many did not know how to evaluate or perceived it as unhealthy. Finally, in the joint analysis of factors, all consumer groups (vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians) attributed greater relative importance to the type of additive factor, with vegetable drinks with no additives, short list of ingredients and 100% vegetable descriptor, evaluated with a higher perception of healthiness and purchase intention, while drinks containing synthetic additives, with a long ingredient list and plant-based descriptor, were perceived with a lower degree of healthiness and purchase intention. In view of this, the results obtained in the study can help the food industries of the plant-based segment in the elaboration of new products, and also, guide them in the definition of adequate and efficient marketing strategies for the different groups of consumers.