Turkish consumers' perceptions and consumption of organic foods

Abstract

The organic food market in Turkey has experienced a significant growth over the past decade. The goal of this paper is to explore Turkish consumers' nature of demand for organic food products. The effect of four factors, consumer trust, health considerations, environmental benefits and availability, on the frequency of organic food product purchases is analyzed. The survey study takes place in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey with the participation of 215 consumers. The results of this study indicate that the main reasons for purchasing organic foods are that consumers believe them to be healthier, tastier, fresher and that organic products are environmentally friendly.