Consumer behaviors on food safety (A case study on red meat consumption in urban areas of Adana)

Recently, there are many reasons to increase consumers? sensitivity toward red meat consumption which affects their consumption preferences, such as infection risk of animalborne disease, and some part of the red meat production can not meet food quality and safety standards in Turkey. As a result, food safety is becoming a major concern in the consumer?s attitude and behaviors. In this study, it was aimed to determine that consumers? food safety concerns affect on their purchasing attitude and behaviors for red meat and it? products. Data were collected by means of consumer survey with 400 household. As a result of this research, a significant part of consumers? were affected by news on food safety and they formed their consumption pattern in respect of food safety issues. Lamb meat is perceived as a safest meat product by consumers. Ordered Probit was used to estimate the consumers? willingness to pay for food safety. Ordered Probit model estimation showed that probability of consumers? willingness to pay a price premium for certificated red meat and it? product is 20 % higher than based price. Besides, consumers who were well educated, frequently consumed red meat, had higher income level and preferred supermarket or hypermarket for shopping were more willing to pay for safer red meat and its product. As a result of LA/AIDS model, expenditure elasticity for lamb meat is smaller than one, and while other meat products are higher than one. Except for Turkish sausage, salami and sausage, the own-price elasticity for beef, lamb meat, and beef jerky estimated elastic. In addition, cross price elasticities reveal that substitutability relationships are higher than complementarities. Keywords: Food Safety, Red Meat Products, Willingness to Pay, Ordered Probit Model, LA/AIDS Model.