Determination of the perceptions and attitudes of consumers for milk and dairy products in Tekirdag province

ABSTRACT Master of Thesis DETERMINATION OF THE PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES OF CONSUMERS FOR MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS IN TEKIRDAG PROVINCE Yaprak GÜNEŞ Tekirdag Namık Kemal University Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences Department of Agricultural Economics Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Emine YILMAZ In order to create a healthy society, individuals in the society should be fed with sufficient and healthy nutrition. Milk and dairy products are the foodstuff that has an important place in a balanced diet. Milk which is the first need for living, is only product for providing desires and requirements. In other words milk contains lipids, mineral substances, proteins, sugar and vitamins. Besides nutritional value, milk regulates body functions and it is also basic foodstuff that plays an important role in the formation of bone and teeth. In this thesis, it is aimed to determine the perceptions and attitudes of consumers about milk and milk products. For this purpose, the data which obtained by face to face interviews with 270 consumers living in Tekirdağ were analyzed. According to the research results, while female consumers consume more yogurt, male consumers consume more butter. While 30% of consumers consume 2 liters of open milk, 57% of consumers consume 2 litres of packaged milk. Home made yogurt is more preferable than ready made yoğurt. A lot of consumers consume white cheese everyday. Milk and milk products are provided from markets, producers and dairy farms. When consumers buy milk and milk products, they give importance to product's freshness, flavor, expiry date and healthy. 40% of consumers agreed to pay 25% more for branded products. 71% of consumers support the idea of consumption of milk and dairy products at any age. Key words: Consumption of milk, dairy products and consumer perception 2019, 69 sayfa