Abstract:

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the purchasing habits of the consumers living in Etimesgut district of Ankara province with different demographic characteristics such as age, gender, income level, education level and their purchasing habits. Material and Methods: The data obtained from the survey study conducted with 517 adult individuals with different demographic characteristics were used; demographic characteristics, food buying habits and places where consumers buy foodstuffs were examined. The obtained data were evaluated by applying SPSS program and chi-square (χ2) test. Results: The relationships between the education status of the consumers and whether the packaging is damaged during shopping and the gender and the label information of the product and whether it contains allergens were found to be significant. It has been determined that consumers prefer neighborhood markets when buying products such as fruits and vegetables, and that they consider the "street vendor" as having the lowest reliability. Conclusion: During shopping, especially attention should be paid to the expiration date, whether the packaging material is damaged; constitute the most important parameters of purchasing habits. The fact that consumers prefer their own products and supermarkets as the point of access to food reveals the importance of the correct and adequate functioning of the food control mechanism through the state.

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