Determination of Consumer Behaviors on Food Safety: A Case Study in Urban Area of Samsun Province

The aim of this study was to determine the consumer behaviors related to food safety in urban area of Samsun province, Turkey. Research data were collected by questionnaires from 384 consumers who were influential in food purchasing decisions in their families. Consumer behaviors in the study were examined in two groups according to whether consumers were aware of food safety or not. According to the research results, 55.47% of consumers had heard about the concept of food safety while 44.53% of them did not hear about the concept of food safety. Consumers who were aware of food safety defined this concept as healty food (44.13%), certified food (19.25%), unexpired food (16.43%), food with no additives (11.27%), quality food (4.69%), and hygienic food (4.23%). The differences between the groups were found to be statistically significant in terms of paying attention to expiration date, production date, food additive, and energy/nutrient value on the food label. Research results showed that consumers who were not aware of food safety had lower sensitivity to food. For this reason, it is necessary for all the individuals in the society to be sensitive about food safety and increase the level of consciousness. Furthermore, since food production largely depends on consumer demand, it is necessary to develop consumer oriented marketing strategies