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<p>Millets carry a stubborn cultural stigma as "poor man's food" in urbanizing India. This complicates their otherwise strong nutritional and environmental profile. While circular economy (CE) branding is frequently proposed as a solution, we suggest it is not enough on its own. In this study, we test how consumers actually perceive CE brand signals and whether those perceptions translate into millet purchase intentions. Specifically, we weigh the mediating role of brand credibility against the direct, suppressive effect of cultural stigma. To do this, we integrated Signaling Theory, the Elaboration Likelihood Model, and the Stereotype Content Model into a single framework. We gathered data through a vignette-based, two-wave survey (with a 21-day separation) from 290 urban consumers across five cities in Uttarakhand, India, and analyzed it via PLS-SEM using a Type II reflective-formative hierarchical component model. The data reveals that perceived circularity reliably establishes brand credibility (β = 0.558, f<sup>2</sup> = 0.453), which subsequently drives purchase intention (β = 0.297, p &lt; 0.001). We found that credibility fully mediates this relationship—there is no direct heuristic shortcut from circularity to purchase (β = 0.095, p = 0.126). At the same time, the underlying millet stigma independently suppresses purchase intention (β = − 0.207, p &lt; 0.001). This suppression operates through a channel that brand credibility simply cannot override, remaining steady across both income and age demographics. Perhaps the most notable finding is that health consciousness (β = 0.329, f<sup>2</sup> = 0.154) acts as the strongest direct predictor of purchase intention, whereas environmental concern shows zero significant direct effect (β = − 0.021, p = 0.656). Consumers also pay far more attention to packaging circularity (weight = 0.596) than to production-level circularity (weight = 0.441). Ultimately, these findings demand a strategic shift in how we brand stigmatized traditional foods. To advance the circular food transition, brands cannot lean on environmental messaging alone; they need to deliberately build trust, confront the cultural stigma head-on, and lead with tangible health signals.</p>

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Signalling Circularity in a Stigmatised Food Category: Brand Credibility and Millet Stigma as Predictors of Purchase Intention in Urban Uttarakhand

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月10日

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  • Rajinder Singh Bisht,
  • Pradeep Mamgain

摘要

Millets carry a stubborn cultural stigma as "poor man's food" in urbanizing India. This complicates their otherwise strong nutritional and environmental profile. While circular economy (CE) branding is frequently proposed as a solution, we suggest it is not enough on its own. In this study, we test how consumers actually perceive CE brand signals and whether those perceptions translate into millet purchase intentions. Specifically, we weigh the mediating role of brand credibility against the direct, suppressive effect of cultural stigma. To do this, we integrated Signaling Theory, the Elaboration Likelihood Model, and the Stereotype Content Model into a single framework. We gathered data through a vignette-based, two-wave survey (with a 21-day separation) from 290 urban consumers across five cities in Uttarakhand, India, and analyzed it via PLS-SEM using a Type II reflective-formative hierarchical component model. The data reveals that perceived circularity reliably establishes brand credibility (β = 0.558, f2 = 0.453), which subsequently drives purchase intention (β = 0.297, p < 0.001). We found that credibility fully mediates this relationship—there is no direct heuristic shortcut from circularity to purchase (β = 0.095, p = 0.126). At the same time, the underlying millet stigma independently suppresses purchase intention (β = − 0.207, p < 0.001). This suppression operates through a channel that brand credibility simply cannot override, remaining steady across both income and age demographics. Perhaps the most notable finding is that health consciousness (β = 0.329, f2 = 0.154) acts as the strongest direct predictor of purchase intention, whereas environmental concern shows zero significant direct effect (β = − 0.021, p = 0.656). Consumers also pay far more attention to packaging circularity (weight = 0.596) than to production-level circularity (weight = 0.441). Ultimately, these findings demand a strategic shift in how we brand stigmatized traditional foods. To advance the circular food transition, brands cannot lean on environmental messaging alone; they need to deliberately build trust, confront the cultural stigma head-on, and lead with tangible health signals.