Understanding the consumer behaviour towards plant-based foods: An application of capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model in an Australian context (Abstract and citation only)
Creators: name: Matharu, Gurmeet Kaur
Publisher: name: Southern Cross University
Year: 2026
Subjects: Plant-based foods
Vegetarian
Vegan
Meat consumption
Meat-reduced diet
Consumer behaviour
COM-B model

description: The consumer behaviour-related factors leading to meat-reduced diets have been explored. However, much of the literature on transitioning consumers from meat-based to plant-based (PB) diets lacks an overarching theoretical framework. Moreover, research on PB foods has been mostly restricted to limited comparisons of omnivores and vegetarians. Few studies have investigated all seven consumer dietary types, namely omnivores, flexitarians, semi-vegetarians, pesco-vegetarians, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians and vegans. Furthermore, the configurational effects of COM components and demographic variables in relation to PB food consumption are not studied.
description: This research aims to address these gaps. It draws on the theoretical domains framework and the COM-B model. A structural model is developed and tested across the three COM components: Capability; Motivation, and Opportunity. A configurational model is also added to capture the configurational effects of COM components. To inform the model, quantitative data has been collected: Firstly, 108 completed questionnaires have been collected through a pilot study; secondly, 825 completed questionnaires have been received through a main online survey. The results indicates that skills, knowledge, and behavioural regulation are associated with capability; environmental context and resources, and social influences are associated with opportunity, and social role and identity, optimism, intentions, beliefs about consequences, beliefs about capabilities, emotions, and reinforcement are associated with motivation. The COM components positively and significantly influence behaviour. Motivation was affected by the capability and opportunity, and mediated their effects on behaviour. Regarding moderating effects, the association between capability and behaviour is moderated by the pesco-vegetarians, followed by flexitarians and semi-vegetarians; the association between motivation and behaviour is moderated by the pesco-vegetarians, followed by flexitarians and semi-vegetarians, and the association between opportunity and behaviour is moderated by the pesco-vegetarians, followed by omnivores and flexitarians. The results of the configurational model reveal that a combination of skills, knowledge, habits, intentions works as a sufficient and consistent configuration for influencing behaviour.
description: The contributions of this research are four-fold: It is the first to investigate consumers’ behaviour towards PB foods in an Australian context using the COM-B model. It contributes new knowledge about how to conceptualise and operationalise 17 constructs of the COM-B model and their relationship. The examination of configurational effects of COM components and demographic variables on PB food consumption, is also novel. The original contribution is the study of moderating effects of consumer dietary types on the COM-B components relationship.