Attitudes and behavior of Turkish consumers with respect to organic foods

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes and behavior of Turkish consumers with respect to organic foods. Data was collected from 500 consumers living in Istanbul, Turkey through a structured and undisguised questionnaire. It was found that about one fifth of the respondents either did not buy organic foods at all or bought them very infrequently. High price of organic foods seems to be the main reason for not purchasing them followed by a lack of availability whereas health of the self and/or the family is the first reason given for purchasing them. Findings related to the analyses of demographic variables revealed some statistically significant differences among different consumer groups in case of their organic food purchase frequency, their reasons for purchasing and not purchasing organic foods, and the conditions under which they would be willing to purchase organic foods more. Implications of the study for food producers/retailers, regulatory agencies, and further research are also included in the paper.