Consumer intention towards the phosphate-reduced processed meat products using the extended theory of planned behaviour

Phosphates are essential for maintaining various quality attributes of processed meat products such as water-binding properties, texture and sensory properties and their removal would drastically change the products' technical and sensory qualities. Currently, meat industries are faced with the challenge of removing phosphates to address the consumers' demand to remove the negatively perceived synthetic additives from processed meat products. This study measured these consumers' purchase intention of phosphate-reduced processed meat products with different quality, using the extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB). An online survey was conducted among the consumers (n = 548) of the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to predict their knowledge and attitude towards phosphate additives. Analysis of the survey responses showed that about two-third of the participants consumed processed meat products 5–6 times per week. The results of multiple linear regression showed that the theory constructs attitude, subjective norms, perceived health risks significantly (P