Consumers’ Choice of Beef Brands and Intention to Switch in Northern Ghana

Product and consumer-related factors are key determinants of food choices and preferences globally. This study uses decomposed form of the original components of theory of planned behavior (TPB) to evaluate consumers’ intentions toward three beef brands in northern Ghana. Through multi-stage sampling, 560 beef consumers were selected and made to choose their favorite beef brands through choice experiment. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect cross-sectional data which were analyzed using descriptive statistics and partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). NVivo was used as a supporting tool to generate text clouds from the qualitative data collected during focus group discussions. The results show that majority of the respondents prefer locally produced beef sold fresh at butcher shops. Results from focus group discussions revealed that consumers grade beef quality using attributes such as color, freshness, taste, production and sales environment. On intention to switch to enhanced (healthy) beef brands, majority (65%) of consumers of beef brand A, 87% of brand B and 91% of brand C had intention to switch. On factors influencing intention to switch, attitude had 22.5% influence at 3.213 (p<0.010) significance level. Subjective norm had 18.3% influence at 4.144 (p<0.001) significance level with perceived behavioral control having the highest influence of 38.3% at 6.207 (p<0.001) significance level.