Özet:

In this study, the aim is to determine consumer behaviors towards functional foods and the factors affecting these behaviors. The main material of the study was the face-to-face interviews with 384 consumers living in urban areas of Isparta province and the data obtained by the survey method. According to the results of the study, 89.58% of the interviewees were the consumers of functional food. It was seen that being beneficial to health was the first factor that the consumers pay attention to, when they decide on the food product they consume. The most consumed products of consumers were mineral water, mixed fruit juice and green tea respectively. Consumers were aware of the functional foods mostly via the internet and the first three benefits were that these foods are perceived as healthier, may help to eliminate swelling problems like gas and to regulate bowel functions. Consumers of this study consumed functional foods at least 2 or 3 times a week. The health benefits, the information provided by the experts about the functional foods and the brands of these products were one of the important features that consumers pay attention to during the purchase of functional foods. The main reasons for the consumption were that they benefited from the health effects of functional foods and liking their tastes, making the consumers feel fit in shape and also helping to prevent disorders or diseases. It was found that the relationship between functional food consumption and gender, age, marital status, household width and average monthly income was statistically insignificant (p>0.05) while the relationship between the educational status of consumers and functional food consumption was statistically significant (p<0.05).

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