The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the key issues of food safety, food security and food waste. The Sabri Ülker Foundation undertook a survey during April and May, 2022 in order to gain insights into consumer behaviour and attitudes in Türkiye in respect of these issues. The survey included 2400 face-to-face interviews with participants from 12 provinces throughout Türkiye, representing a cross-section of ages, educational attainment and socio-economic categories.
The results highlighted several encouraging trends. The COVID-19 pandemic enhanced knowledge and improved behaviour, leading to improvements in diet and reductions in food waste. However, worrying concerns about food safety persist. Bread waste is a major concern in Türkiye. Freezing leftover bread is not common and were this to become more widely practiced bread waste could be substantially decreased.
This survey has highlighted priorities for our Foundation with regard to education and communications. The findings of the survey have been submitted for publication and it is hoped that they will become publicly available during the coming year.
