How to increase consumer demand for GHG-mitigating ingredients? : A case study of green restaurants in Taiwan

Abstract

The hospitality industry’s commercial activities contribute to many negative environmental impacts; hence, promoting green restaurants is necessary. Considering the prevalent dining-out culture, green restaurants also bear the responsibility of changing people’s dietary habits to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study examines how to increase people’s demand for green restaurants while changing their dietary habits to include more GHG-mitigating ingredients. Using the Attention, Interest, and Desire (AID) model and questionnaire survey, this study found that individuals exhibit a negative correlation between label attention and desire when interest is not considered. This may be attributed to the absence of sustainable social norms and values. In light of this, this study suggests that relevant government authorities could enhance subsidies for green restaurants, enabling them to compete with regular restaurants in terms of pricing, thereby accelerating the integration of green restaurants and GHG-mitigating ingredients into people’s daily lives.