Understanding anti-consumption and consumer reluctance toward foreign agri-food products: country of origin and perceived value in times of image crisis

Purpose Globalization has increased the importance of understanding consumer behavior, including anti-consumption tendencies, toward agri-food products, particularly in contexts where a sector or country faces an image crisis. This study aims to identify the key factors influencing consumer reluctance to buy (RTB) foreign agri-food products – a form of anti-consumption – with a specific focus on the role of country of origin in decision-making. By analyzing these variables, the research seeks to provide insights that can help businesses and policymakers develop more effective strategies to address consumer concerns and improve market positioning. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model is proposed suggesting that RTB foreign agri-food products can be mitigated by consumer affinity toward a foreign country and other key variables such as country image and perceived value, counteracting consumer ethnocentrism, notably when image crises affect a country-product. The empirical study focuses on the Spanish agri-food sector, using data from 335 German consumers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships within the model. Findings Results indicate that affinity toward a foreign country and perceived value significantly reduce RTB of foreign agri-food products, whereas consumer ethnocentrism increases RTB. Moreover, the study reveals that image crises moderate these relationships. Originality/value This study provides original insights by investigating the agri-food sector and the nuanced impact of country image and consumer affinity in mitigating RTB, a manifestation of potential anti-consumption, within this context. Notably, it offers novel empirical evidence on how image crises concerning a country-product dynamically moderate the influence of these key variables.