Consumer awareness, perception and attitudes towards genetically modified foods in Turkey

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to evaluate awareness and perception of GM foods of Turkish consumers living in Istanbul, Turkey. Design/methodology/approach-A consumer survey consisting of 23 questions has been prepared. Totally 1,315 people participated in the survey. Awareness of the consumers about genetically modified organisms, willingness to purchase GM foods, acceptability of GM foods by consumers and legislations and information sources were assessed in the questionnaire. Nonparametric test were applied in order to unravel demographic differences. Findings-The results of the survey showed that consumers generally know what genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are, but they do not have enough information about the genetic modification process. The main concerns of consumers about GMFs are their carcinogenic effects to human. In addition, corn was found to be the most concerned GMF. The usage of GMOs in health sector and in preventing environmental pollution were the most approved areas by the consumers, whereas the majority of consumers disapproved the use of genetic modifications in food applications. Research limitations/implications-A limitation of this study is the sample including high percentage of educated young consumers. Hence, the survey can be improved and applied to higher number of participants living in different regions in Turkey for being more representative for all Turkish consumers. Practical implications-Some suggestions for food producers and food policy makers are also provided in this study. Originality/value-There has been little research concerning Turkish consumers’ attitude and knowledge towards gene technology and GMFs. Also, there has not been a similar survey in the province of Istanbul.