Consumer Willingness to Pay for Organic Food in Urban Turkey

Abstract

The objective is to explore the Turkish consumers' perceptions regarding food safety and the trade-offs they make between chemical residues and cosmetic quality in fresh fruit and vegetables. The data is obtained through consumer focus groups and consumer surveys with a representative sample of Turkish urban population. Higher income and educated individuals show more interest and have more knowledge of organic products. The choice depends on consumers perception of nutritional value and health risk. We find that consumers do not perceive that organic products have higher prices than conventional counterparts. Consumer willingness to pay for products with organic labels and certified products is up to 36%.