Consumption of Plant-Based Meat as an Alternative to Animal Meat: Empirical Evidence on Behavioral Intentions

Authors

Deena Al Kalbani, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Mohammed Al Rizeiqi, Innovation and Technology Transfer Center, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman AND Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, OmanFollow
M. R. Razzak, Department of Management, College of Economics and Political Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Ismail Al-Bulushi, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Adil S. Al-Busaidi, Innovation and Technology Transfer Center, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman AND Department of Business Communication, College of Economics and Political Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
I. Khan, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
P. Pathare, Department of Soil, Water and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman

Abstract

Empirical evidence indicates that rising consumption of animal meat negatively could contribute to climate change and public health. As a result, meat alternatives such as plant-based meat (PBM) have emerged as a potential solution. However, there seems to be a dearth of insights regarding significant drivers of people’s behavioral intentions (BI) towards PBM. This study leverages the theory of planned behavior to determine whether attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control influence BI towards PBM. Survey data was collected from 380 respondents in Oman to test the relationships between the constructs in the research framework. The results indicated that attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were all significant drivers of intentions to consume PBM (P < 0.05). Moreover, the R-square values suggest that 52.32% of the variation in BI was accounted for by the three independent variables in the framework. This study is among the scant number of empirical studies that contribute to the literature on plant-based meat consumption behavior by deploying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to provide evidence that attitude of consumers towards PBM, their social influences, and their own ability to control their thoughts and behavior, all drive their intentions towards switching from traditional meat to plant based meat. The study is useful in promoting public health and nutrition and nutrition strategy in Oman.

Recommended Citation

Kalbani, Deena Al; Rizeiqi, Mohammed Al; Razzak, M. R.; Al-Bulushi, Ismail; Al-Busaidi, Adil S.; Khan, I.; and Pathare, P. (2025) "Consumption of Plant-Based Meat as an Alternative to Animal Meat: Empirical Evidence on Behavioral Intentions," Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences: Vol. 30: Iss. 2, Article 2.
https://doi.org/10.53541/2410-1079.1351
Available at: https://jams.squ.edu.om/home/vol30/iss2/2