Consumer approaches towards organic and functional foods in the East Mediterranean Region

In this thesis, it is aimed to determine the knowledge levels and approaches of consumers in the East Mediterranean Region towards organic and functional foods, to determine whether there is a relationship between consumers' demographic characteristics and their approaches towards organic and functional foods, and to examine their purchasing behaviors. Within the scope of the research, an online survey was conducted with 384 people from the provinces of Adana, Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş and Hatay. Various statistical analyzes were carried out using the SPSS program with the primary data obtained. According to the results of the research, the most preferred news sources of consumers who state that they are aware of functional foods are the internet and social media. In addition, it was found that the most consumed organic food products by the participants were organic tomato paste and organic olive oil, while functional foods were Turkish coffee, pickles and mineral water. The expression "Organic foods are produced by environmentally friendly methods", which is under the factor of "Ecological Awareness", has the highest average value among the statements in the scale regarding the approaches of consumers towards organic foods. On the other hand, the highest average value in the scale regarding consumers' approaches to functional foods belongs to the statement "I can protect my health by consuming functional foods" included in the "Reward" factor. It is important to be informed by various institutions in order to increase the level of knowledge of consumers about functional foods and to warn them about possible health risks in case of excessive consumption. In addition, it will be very useful to inform consumers in detail about organic agriculture and organic foods by the relevant ministries and universities through various activities, in order to increase the awareness of consumers on this issue.