{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T05:00:10Z","timestamp":1790312410298,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":66,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790294400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In China\u2019s rapidly expanding organic food market, organic food remains a credence-based food category in which consumers rely on information and certification cues to evaluate product authenticity, safety, and sustainability. This study examines how information seeking and organic food credibility cues shape Chinese consumers\u2019 organic food purchase intention by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with selected components of Alphabet Theory.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Data were collected from 412 screened consumers in mainland China and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Information seeking was positively associated with organic food knowledge, which in turn was positively associated with attitude toward organic food. Attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, social media, eco-labels, and perceived government support all positively influenced purchase intention. Bootstrapped indirect-effect analysis further confirmed a sequential pathway from information seeking to purchase intention through knowledge and attitude.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings indicate that organic food choice in China is formed through both internal learning-evaluation processes and external credibility-related cues operating at digital, product-certification, and institutional levels. The study contributes to food consumer science by explaining how consumers interpret organic food claims under information asymmetry and offers implications for food retailers, certification bodies, and policymakers.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1919012","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T04:27:55Z","timestamp":1790310475000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Information seeking and credibility-related cues in Chinese consumers\u2019 organic food purchase intention: an integrated TPB\u2013alphabet model"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Yihan","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia","place":["Penang, Malaysia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rosly","family":"Othman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia","place":["Penang, Malaysia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chong","family":"Ye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University","place":["Fuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hui","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya","place":["Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2025","author":"Willer","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3779","DOI":"10.1108\/BFJ-04-2024-0356","article-title":"Health or environment? How do motivations affect consumers\u2019 organic food purchasing behaviour in China?","volume":"126","author":"Xing","year":"2024","journal-title":"Br Food J"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1876296","DOI":"10.1080\/23311975.2021.1876296","article-title":"Influences of background factors on consumers\u2019 purchase intention in China\u2019s organic food market: assessing moderating role of word-of-mouth (WOM)","volume":"8","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"Cogent Bus Manag"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"507","DOI":"10.1108\/YC-01-2022-1443","article-title":"Green consumption behaviour among generation Z college students in China: the moderating role of government support","volume":"25","author":"Ling","year":"2023","journal-title":"Young Consum"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1528016","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2025.1528016","article-title":"Exploring the role of health consciousness and environmental awareness in purchase intentions for green-packaged organic foods: an extended TPB model","volume":"12","author":"Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Nutr"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.2478\/fman-2023-0003","article-title":"Exploring organic food purchase behaviors of gen Z: an application of TPB and MOA model in a transition country","volume":"15","author":"Nguyen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Found Manag"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"108142","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appet.2025.108142","article-title":"Chinese consumers\u2019 perceptions, attitude, and purchase intention of organic products","volume":"214","author":"Lu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Appetite"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"697","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1470-6431.2009.00814.x","article-title":"Organic and local food consumer behaviour: alphabet theory","volume":"33","author":"Zepeda","year":"2009","journal-title":"Int J Consum Stud"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1186\/s11782-020-00093-3","article-title":"Identifying the key purchase factors for organic food among Chinese consumers","volume":"14","author":"Li","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Bus Res China"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"135812","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2022.135812","article-title":"Consumers\u2019 purchase behavior in short food supply chains using social commerce in Indonesia","volume":"386","author":"Sadeli","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Clean Prod"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2474","DOI":"10.3390\/su15032474","article-title":"Buying behaviour towards eco-labelled food products: mediation moderation analysis","volume":"15","author":"Alam","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.51245\/rijbr.v7i2.2022.324","article-title":"Role of organic certification and trust in organic food buying intention: attitude as a mediator","volume":"7","author":"Patel","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ramanujan Int J Bus Res"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4736","DOI":"10.1108\/BFJ-08-2021-0875","article-title":"Understanding the purchase intentions for organic vegetables across EU: a proposal to extend the TPB model","volume":"124","author":"Loera","year":"2022","journal-title":"Br Food J"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1016\/0749-5978(91)90020-T","article-title":"The theory of planned behavior","volume":"50","author":"Ajzen","year":"1991","journal-title":"Organ Behav Hum Decis Process"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107115","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appet.2023.107115","article-title":"Interactive effects of information and trust on consumer choices of organic food: evidence from China","volume":"192","author":"Yuan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Appetite"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"123197","DOI":"10.1016\/j.techfore.2023.123197","article-title":"Social network platforms and climate change in China: evidence from TikTok","volume":"200","author":"Sun","year":"2024","journal-title":"Technol Forecast Soc Chang"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"441","DOI":"10.1080\/10454446.2017.1311815","article-title":"The effect of organic food labels on consumer attention","volume":"24","author":"Drexler","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Food Prod Mark"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2965","DOI":"10.3390\/foods11192965","article-title":"Influence of food safety concerns and satisfaction with government regulation on organic food consumption of Chinese urban residents","volume":"11","author":"Chai","year":"2022","journal-title":"Foods"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"701","DOI":"10.1037\/pag0000847","article-title":"Moderators of curiosity and information seeking in younger and older adults","volume":"39","author":"Swirsky","year":"2024","journal-title":"Psychol Aging"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"881","DOI":"10.1590\/fst.10518","article-title":"Assessment of the impacts of the consumers\u2019 awareness of organic food on consumption behavior","volume":"39","author":"Demirtas","year":"2019","journal-title":"Food Sci Technol"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5485","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17155485","article-title":"The impact of COVID-19 crisis upon the consumer buying behavior of fresh vegetables directly from local producers. Case study: the quarantined area of Suceava County, Romania","volume":"17","author":"Butu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbusres.2016.10.004","article-title":"A social commerce investigation of the role of trust in a social networking site on purchase intentions","volume":"71","author":"Hajli","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Bus Res"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"302","DOI":"10.3390\/foods13020302","article-title":"Results from T\u00fcrkiye: which factors drive consumers to buy organic food?","volume":"13","author":"Ba\u015f","year":"2024","journal-title":"Foods"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105975","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appet.2022.105975","article-title":"Organic food purchase decisions from a context-based behavioral reasoning approach","volume":"173","author":"Thi Nguyen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Appetite"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1077","DOI":"10.3390\/su8101077","article-title":"Application of the extended theory of planned behavior model to investigate purchase intention of green products among Thai consumers","volume":"8","author":"Maichum","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"520","DOI":"10.1111\/jcc4.12127","article-title":"News recommendations from social media opinion leaders: effects on media trust and information seeking","volume":"20","author":"Turcotte","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Comput-Mediat Commun"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.18461\/ijfsd.v13i1.A8","article-title":"The gap between citizens\u2019 concerns and consumers\u2019 actions: which factors impair the adoption of food-related mitigation options?","volume":"13","author":"Hempel","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Food Syst Dyn"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3249","DOI":"10.1108\/BFJ-12-2022-1095","article-title":"Beggars can\u2019t be choosers: factors influencing intention to purchase organic food in pandemic with the moderating role of perceived barriers","volume":"125","author":"Rehman","year":"2023","journal-title":"Br Food J"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"563","DOI":"10.1111\/ijcs.12588","article-title":"Consumer purchasing behaviour of organic food in an emerging market","volume":"44","author":"Le-Anh","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Consum Stud"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3469","DOI":"10.1002\/fsn3.4015","article-title":"Factors affecting purchase intention of organic food products: evidence from a developing nation context","volume":"12","author":"Bazhan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Sci Nutr"},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.20885\/AMBR.vol4.iss1.art5","article-title":"Unraveling the complexity of the organic food market: Indonesian consumer perspective on price and product knowledge","author":"Luthfiana","year":"2024","journal-title":"Asian Manag Bus Rev"},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104039","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jretconser.2024.104039","article-title":"Who can you trust? The curvilinear effects of producer-retailer trust (im)balance in organic food consumption \u2013 the moderation role of trust in blockchain technology","volume":"81","author":"Duong","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Retail Consum Serv"},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"54","DOI":"10.1108\/SJME-04-2024-0110","article-title":"Understanding consumer attitude and purchase intention of organic food products","volume":"30","author":"Ahmad","year":"2026","journal-title":"Span J Mark - ESIC"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1923","DOI":"10.1108\/BFJ-11-2022-0988","article-title":"The role of social media in consumers\u2019 intentions to buy green food: evidence from T\u00fcrkiye","volume":"126","author":"Armutcu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Br Food J"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"118","DOI":"10.1111\/ijcs.12812","article-title":"Applying the theory of reasoned action to examine consumers\u2019 attitude and willingness to purchase organic foods","volume":"47","author":"Kumar","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Consum Stud"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102423","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jretconser.2020.102423","article-title":"Role of consumer health consciousness, food safety & attitude on organic food purchase in emerging market: a serial mediation model","volume":"59","author":"Nagaraj","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Retail Consum Serv"},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"816","DOI":"10.3390\/su14020816","article-title":"Integrating the theory of planned behavior and the norm activation model to investigate organic food purchase intention: evidence from Vietnam","volume":"14","author":"Le","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102988","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jretconser.2022.102988","article-title":"Unveiling ways to reach organic purchase: green perceived value, perceived knowledge, attitude, subjective norm, and trust","volume":"67","author":"Roh","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Retail Consum Serv"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"575820","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2020.575820","article-title":"Buying organic food products: the role of trust in the theory of planned behavior","volume":"11","author":"Canova","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100121","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clrc.2023.100121","article-title":"Examining consumer purchase intention towards organic food: an empirical study","volume":"9","author":"Kamboj","year":"2023","journal-title":"Cleaner Responsible Consumption"},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e42422","DOI":"10.1590\/fst.42422","article-title":"Trust, price sensitivity and consumers\u2019 organic food purchasing behaviour in China","volume":"42","author":"Xing","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Sci Technol"},{"key":"ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.1080\/08974438.2022.2068102","article-title":"Using the theory of planned behavior to examine repeated organic food purchasing: evidence from an online survey","volume":"36","author":"Dinc-Cavlak","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Int Food Agribus Mark"},{"key":"ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2572","DOI":"10.1108\/BFJ-07-2022-0564","article-title":"What drives attitude, purchase intention and consumer buying behavior toward organic food? A self-determination theory and theory of planned behavior perspective","volume":"125","author":"Khan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Br Food J"},{"key":"ref44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1022","DOI":"10.1108\/IJSE-02-2024-0158","article-title":"Street food in the digital era: unraveling the influence of food vloggers credibility and information quality on consumer intentions","volume":"52","author":"Bhagat","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int J Soc Econ"},{"key":"ref45","article-title":"Social media for the organic food consumer\u2019s behaviour and its impact upon the development of digital tools for small farmers in Romania","volume":"9","author":"Brum\u0103","year":"2020","journal-title":"Ecoforum"},{"key":"ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.3390\/info11090447","article-title":"Social media goes green\u2014the impact of social media on green cosmetics purchase motivation and intention","volume":"11","author":"Pop","year":"2020","journal-title":"Information"},{"key":"ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3739","DOI":"10.3390\/su15043739","article-title":"Impact of social media on young generation\u2019s green consumption behavior through subjective norms and perceived green value","volume":"15","author":"Xie","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.3390\/resources12010005","article-title":"Why organic food? Factors influence the organic food purchase intension in an emerging country (study from northern part of Bangladesh)","volume":"12","author":"Akter","year":"2023","journal-title":"Resources"},{"key":"ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4773","DOI":"10.3390\/su11174773","article-title":"Antecedents of purchase intention toward organic food in an Asian emerging market: a study of urban Vietnamese consumers","volume":"11","author":"Nguyen","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"764","DOI":"10.3390\/su15010764","article-title":"Influencing green purchase intention through eco labels and user-generated content","volume":"15","author":"Panopoulos","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"110","DOI":"10.1177\/09722629211001981","article-title":"Purchase intention for electric vehicles among young adults in Thailand","volume":"27","author":"Brinkmann","year":"2023","journal-title":"Vision"},{"key":"ref52","first-page":"329","volume-title":"A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM)","author":"Hair","year":"2014"},{"key":"ref53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1108\/IMDS-09-2015-0382","article-title":"Using PLS path modeling in new technology research: updated guidelines","volume":"116","author":"Henseler","year":"2016","journal-title":"Ind Manag Data Syst"},{"key":"ref54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1037\/0021-9010.88.5.879","article-title":"Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies","volume":"88","author":"Podsakoff","year":"2003","journal-title":"J Appl Psychol"},{"key":"ref55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.4018\/ijec.2015100101","article-title":"Common method bias in PLS-SEM: a full collinearity assessment approach","volume":"11","author":"Kock","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J e Collab"},{"key":"ref56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1080\/07421222.2001.11045669","article-title":"Knowledge management: an organizational capabilities perspective","volume":"18","author":"Gold","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Manag Inf Syst"},{"key":"ref57","volume-title":"Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Using smartPLS 3.0 M A","author":"Ramayah","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2239","DOI":"10.3390\/foods13142239","article-title":"Bridging the intention\u2013behavior gap in organic food consumption: empirical evidence from China","volume":"13","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Foods"},{"key":"ref59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"669","DOI":"10.1108\/YC-04-2023-1721","article-title":"Evaluating the purchasing behavior of organic food among Chinese consumers","volume":"24","author":"Huo","year":"2023","journal-title":"Young Consum"},{"key":"ref60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2338","DOI":"10.3390\/su16062338","article-title":"Swipe to sustain: exploring consumer behaviors in organic food purchasing via Instagram social commerce","volume":"16","author":"Poureisa","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2706","DOI":"10.3390\/su17062706","article-title":"The impact of social media on the purchase intention of organic products","volume":"17","author":"Samaniego-Arias","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5564683","DOI":"10.1155\/jfq\/5564683","article-title":"Perceived quality and consumer acceptance of functional foods: a systematic review of marketing strategies","volume":"2026","author":"Carbone","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Food Qual"},{"key":"ref63","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1449848","DOI":"10.3389\/fsufs.2024.1449848","article-title":"The impact of information acquisition ability on consumers\u2019 trust in eco-labels in China: insight of food sustainability","volume":"8","author":"Yang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Sustain Food Syst"},{"key":"ref64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"709","DOI":"10.1007\/s12208-021-00325-z","article-title":"The roles of hedonistic, utilitarian incentives and government policies affecting customer attitudes and purchase intention towards green products","volume":"19","author":"Matin","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark"},{"key":"ref65","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"128995","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2021.128995","article-title":"Understanding the effects of eco-label, eco-brand, and social media on green consumption intention in ecotourism destinations","volume":"321","author":"Chi","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Clean Prod"},{"key":"ref66","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104973","DOI":"10.1016\/j.marpol.2022.104973","article-title":"Understanding Chinese consumers\u2019 purchase intention towards traceable seafood using an extended theory of planned behavior model","volume":"137","author":"Ding","year":"2022","journal-title":"Mar Policy"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Nutrition"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnut.2026.1919012\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T04:27:57Z","timestamp":1790310477000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnut.2026.1919012\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"references-count":66,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fnut.2026.1919012"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fnut.2026.1919012","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-861X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-861X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"article-number":"1919012"}}