Factors Affecting Consumers' Consumption of Organic Foods: A Case Study in GAP-Şanlıurfa in Turkey

This study aimed at evaluating the reasons affecting organic food consumption of consumers in GAP-Şanlıurfa of Turkey. The sample size was determined using a 95% confidence interval and 382 questionnaire interviews were conducted. The participants were selected among the organic food consumers using a simple random sampling method. The Likert attitude scale, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for analysis. It was observed that the existing knowledge and publicity about organic foods were insufficient; the main source of information was the internet. The consumers prefer to buy organic foods directly from the producers and there is a need for the organic bazaar. The fresh fruits and vegetables have a consumption frequency of 74.1%, followed by milk and milk products with 56%. The most important reason for consumption is being hormone-free, as shown by 93.7% of respondents, followed by odor-taste and flavor, with 92.7%. Color-appearance-packaging ranked last in terms of importance. The education level, followed by income, occupation, gender, marital status, age, settlement location and number of household members, are reasons that significantly explain the consumption behaviors. This study is one of the first of its kind in the GAP-Şanlıurfa. The results are important for agricultural producers and policymakers concerning agricultural production, marketing, and rural development.