The Features Taken into Consideration by the Consumers in Konya, Turkey, When Purchasing a Food Product

Abstract

The studies into the effect of diet on health have yielded consumer awareness and attention into the quality standards of the food products they purchase. The aim of this study is to investigate some quality and safety features taken into consideration by consumers at the time of shopping. The study was conducted on 332 consumers in Konya, Turkey. The descriptive survey model was used in the study and the data were collected through a questionnaire. The relationships between the participants’ educational level and their attention to some variables like price, brand, contents, production date, expiry date, nutrition value, package, ease of use and healthfulness and to some quality stamps such as TSI, HACCP, HALAL and ISO were investigated in the study. It was also aimed to determine whether there was a relationship between the participants’ educational status and their knowledge level about what HACCP was. The results of the study revealed that the consumers paid more attention to the quality features of the food products they purchased as their educational level increased (p<0.05).