The role of communication strategies in development of food safety awareness in customer preferences for fresh fruit and vegetables

This study aims to examine consumers of Izmir's knowledge-attitudes and behaviors towards food safety, determine the effective factors in choosing the reliable fresh fruit and vegetables products, identify the role of safe food practices in strategic public relations awareness in terms of customers' place and product preferences for buying fruit and vegetables. This study was carried out with 489 participants; its data has been gathered through the application of a questionnaire developed for food safety in fruit and vegetable products to cunsumers via face-to-face questionnaire method. The data obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed with SPSS 20.0 software. In the analysis of data, factor analysis was performed to determine the main factors influencing customer preferences for purchasing fresh fruit-vegetables and behaviours towards safe food. It is obtained that 55% of consumers who participated in the study are conscious consumers;they have heard the term of food safety and had knowledge about it. ıt has been observed that a significant portion of consumers (70%) prefer shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables from open-air markets. According to the study of factor analysis to describe consumers' perceptions of food safety the factors studied were accumulated in five main groups. It has be determined that the most important factor for food safety in fresh fruit and vegetables products is given to the operations of legal authority by the consumers. In addition, it is determined that consumers have a negative view that the legal authority to fulfill their responsibilities in studies towards food safety in the fruit and vegetable products. According to consumers, public relations operations on public interest and persuasion come first in development of food safety awareness in fresh fruit and vegetables products. Key words: Food, Food Safety, Fresh Vegetables & Fruit, Open-air Markets, Awareness, PR, Communication Strategies