Consumers' Purchase Intention toward Safety Labeled Dairy Products in the Black Sea Region of Turkey

Abstract

About half of raw milk production in Turkey is sold under unsanitary conditions in open-air markets or by street vendors without following appropriate food safety standards and the consumers face a very high risk of consuming potentially unsafe dairy products. This research aims to assess consumers' awareness and attitudes about food safety, and to assess the market potential of certified labeled dairy products by determining consumers' purchase intention toward such products. The data was collected from a survey of 423 urban households by using the method of simple random sampling in Trabzon and Samsun provinces. In order to assess the market potential of certified labeled dairy products, an ordered probit model was specified and estimated to determine factors that may affect respondents' purchase decision. The study reveals that a vast majority of the respondents was not aware of food safety standards and they often purchased unsafe dairy products from farmers or open-air markets. The estimated model results show that factors such as food safety attribute, food poisoning experience, looking for food safety assurance, having information about food safety standards, college education and income have significant positive effects on consumers' purchase intention toward safety labeled dairy products, while concern for food poisoning has a significant negative effect.