The Effect of Perceived Severity, Perceived Susceptibility and Food Neophilia on Green Purchase Intention among Lemonilo Instant Noodle Consumers

Abstract

The growing demand for clean-label products and increasing health awareness have influenced green purchase intention (GPI) in Indonesia's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market. However, healthier-positioned instant noodle brands such as Lemonilo remain outside the top ten leading brands, suggesting challenges in translating favorable consumer attitudes into purchasing behavior. Drawing on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study examined the effects of perceived severity (PSE), perceived susceptibility (PSUS), and food neophilia (FN) on GPI, addressing the limited integration of health risk perceptions and food novelty-seeking tendencies within a single conceptual framework. A quantitative, explanatory, cross-sectional research design was employed. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to 108 Lemonilo instant noodle consumers in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi; Jabodetabek), using convenience sampling with proportional allocation. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 and 5,000 bootstrap resamples. The results indicated that PSE (? = 0.308; p = 0.001) and FN (? = 0.374; p < 0.001) had positive and statistically significant associations with GPI, with FN demonstrating the strongest positive path coefficient. Conversely, PSUS exhibited a negative but statistically nonsignificant relationship with GPI at the 5% significance level (? = ?0.216; p = 0.051). The model explained 24.2% of the variance in GPI (R² = 0.242), with reported small-to-medium effect sizes and a Q² value of 0.170, indicating positive predictive relevance under the assessment procedure employed. These findings suggested that perceived health consequences and openness to novel foods were more strongly associated with GPI than perceived personal susceptibility. The study concluded that healthier-positioned instant noodle producers should communicate health-related information accurately and responsibly while emphasizing product innovation through digital marketing content, new product variants, affordable trial packages, and credible consumer testimonials to encourage purchase intention and potentially support purchasing behavior.