Underlying Food Values Influencing Food-Related Behaviors of Consumers in Turkey
Conference paper > Full Text · 2023
Authors: Cihat GÜNDEN, Ela ATIŞ, Havva Ece SALALI
XX. International Balkan and Near Eastern Congress Series on Economics, Business and Management Ohrid / Republic of North Macedonia, Macedonia, Ohrid, International, Verbal, Full Text, 2023-2023, pp 608-626
Summary
<p>While the world is struggling with the obesity epidemic, the novel coronavirus pandemic has started to spread, and has become more in need of health conscious consumers and healthy eating habits along with new approaches in designing policy interventions. In this new situation, it is urgent to examine the food attributes to identify the underlying food values, which lead consumers to eat healthy. This study aims to explore consumers’ food values and their influences on health consciousness and food-related behavior in Turkey. Also, the study shed light on identifying the underlying dimensions that capture the meaning of food values used to segment consumers. Ultimately, policy interventions are designed benefited from behavioral insights to encourage healthy diet. Data were obtained from a random sample of 385 consumers through face-to-face interviews in Turkey. Factor analysis was performed to determine the underlying dimensions that summarize and capture the meaning of food values. Then, consumers were classified into segments considering their perception of food values. The food values were fairness, environmental impact, origin and nutrition (ethical and environmental), defined as social food values in Turkey. Classifying consumers into two segments regarding their perception of social food values showed that 57.4% of the consumers had a positive perception, while 42.6% had a negative perception, named as ethical consumers and apathetic consumers respectively. The results showed that ethical consumers had higher health conscious, and healthier food consumption behaviors than apathetic consumers. The study recommends policy interventions aimed at altering the decision-making environment of consumers to promote healthy eating behavior.</p>