Is Ego a Motivator for Buying Local Foods? A Modified Model of the Theory of Trying

Local food has continued to become more popular in both the home and as featured ingredients in all segments of food service. Numerous studies have explored the motivating factors for consumer purchasing motivators. However, no known study has explored if there is a correlation between ego and intent to buy local foods. This study adopted a modified version of the Theory of Trying and surveyed a sample of 237 food service buying agents in South Carolina to examine their perceptions of buying locally. Results suggest that ego is a predictor of trying to purchase local foods for the restaurant. It was also found that the modified model is an acceptable model for predicting buyer intent. These findings support the majority of the studies looking at ego-centric behaviors with green purchases and could potentially help local food suppliers to better market their products to food service establishments. This study could also act as the foundation for future studies to explore the full extent of ego's motivational effect on purchasing intentions in the food service industry.