Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on food purchase and consumption behaviours of consumers living in urban and rural areas of Bursa province

With this study, it is aimed to determine how the food purchasing and consuming behaviors of consumers living in the urban and rural areas of Bursa have changed during the Covid-19 pandemic period. Within the scope of the study, questionnaire interviews were conducted with consumers living in the urban and rural areas of central districts (Nilüfer, Osmangazi and Yıldırım) of Bursa province. The surveys were conducted with total of 416 people through face-to-face interviews and Google Form. The questionnaire consisted of 28 questions in total. Frequency, Chi-Square, G-test of goodness-of-fit, Independent Sample T-Test and two-way ANOVA tests were used in the statistical analysis of the data. According to the data analysis, most of the consumers preferred not stocking food during the pandemic period. Consumers who stocked food mostly preffered buying in flour, oil and sugar. People who live in the urban areas preferred to buy fruits and vegetables from the supermarkets, whereas people living in the rural areas mostly grew these products by themselves. An increase in the body weight was observed in the majority of consumers living in the urban areas while there was no change in the rural areas. The majority of consumers stated that their market and food expenditures increased during the pandemic period and they mostly preferred to cook their own food at home instead of ordering from outside. It is also expressed by most of the consumers that, the staff in cafes and restaurants should wear masks and gloves and be vaccinated against Covid-19. People living in the urban areas took more vitamin-mineral supplements compared with the people living in the rural areas and they also preferred packaged food products more than foods sold in bulk. As a result, it has been determined that consumers' food purchasing and consumption behaviors have changed during the Covid-19 pandemic period, and this situation created significant differences regarding to the places where consumers live.