What Factors Influence Post-COVID-19 Consumer Purchase Habits? An Empirical Survey in the Italian Agri-food Sector

The study investigates the change in the purchasing practices of agri-food products, analysing whether traditional, health, and environmental aspects influence postpandemic purchasing intention. The empirical study conducted in Italy aims to understand the state of the art and investigate consumer behaviour in the agri-food system after the pandemic. Thereafter, a quantitative analysis was conducted, and the theoretical model was analysed through structural equation modelling techniques. The findings show that health and traditional aspects (culinary traditions, ingredient usage from one’s territory of origin, and product origin attention) are among the main reasons for purchasing agri-food goods after the pandemic. Instead, environmental aspects negatively affect consumers’ purchase intentions. The research provides insights for food companies and governments by highlighting the aspects to be improved to optimize the agri-food sector following a sustainable perspective.