Turkish Consumers’ Perceptions of Organic Milk and the Factors Affecting Consumption: The Case of Kocaeli, Türkiye

Abstract

The supply of organic products is critical in ensuring sustainable consumption in the face of increasing world population. The increasing awareness of individuals about healthy eating and re-liable food also increases the demand for organic products. The most commonly consumed product group among organic products, after fruits and vegetables, is milk and dairy products. This study aims to determine the perception of organic milk and the factors affecting organic milk consumption by consumers in the city center of the Kocaeli province. The data of the study were collected from 384 consumers with a survey using proportional sampling. The primary material of the study consisted of the data collected by the face-to-face survey method from milk consumers living in the center of Kocaeli province. The study demonstrated their sociodemographic structure with frequency distributions in the data obtained. In addition, statistical analysis methods, such as the chi-squared test and t-test factor analysis, were used for data evaluation. According to the research results, the rate of organic milk consumers was 78.91%. In addition, consumers stated that organic milk was expensive, tasty, and not widely available. Moreover, the most commonly consumed organic dairy products were yogurt, butter, and cheese. The factors influencing consumers about organic milk consumption were price, availability, reliability, and awareness. Increasing the consumption of organic milk is critical for ensuring sustainable consumption and the health of future generations. These results clearly demonstrate that we can increase organic milk consumption in Türkiye and create a fairer and more sustainable organic milk market by ensuring producers follow policies supporting organic milk production, investing in education, and organizing awareness programs for Turkish consumers.

1. Introduction

Climatic changes, genetically modified organisms, and chemical fertilization pesticide applications have adversely impacted agricultural production in recent years, causing irreversible deformation of natural resources [1]. Producers are responsible for conducting sustainable agriculture activities and leaving a natural habitat and cultivatable agricultural soils to future generations. Developed and developing countries are turning toward sustainable production systems to minimize the negative impacts of developments, such as climate change, undernutrition, obesity, shrinking agricultural lands, and the COVID-19 pandemic [2,3,4]. In this respect, organic agriculture is considered a significant contribution to sustainable agricultural development, and it also helps reduce the production surplus from conventional agriculture [5]. It is seen that organic production methods are beneficial for the environment, biodiversity, soil quality, animal welfare, and reducing pesticide residues [6,7,8]. Increasing organic production is being adopted as a common goal as part of the sustainability and climate policy, and consumer demand for organic food products plays a considerable role in achieving it. Consumers’ roles in increasing organic production are heavily emphasized in previous studies of consumer demand for milk [9,10].

Chronic environmental and health problems [11,12] resulting from current natural resource deformations [13] have driven consumers toward natural, environmentally friendly [14], and safe [15] organic food products of known origin [16]. Organic foods have become increasingly popular worldwide due to perceived health benefits and positive environmental impact [17]. Sustainable consumption is essential for the protection of natural resources and the environment. Therefore, consumer choice of organic products is a significant part of this process.

Although the organic food market is rapidly growing in European countries, it is still believed to have considerable potential [18]. Organic food was first sold in small markets or purchased directly from the farmer. Nowadays, organic food is in great demand, and it is possible to find these products in well-known supermarkets throughout the country and in many other known markets [19]. Anyway, with the development of technology, it has been possible to buy organic products from the internet through e-shopping sites [20]. Understanding the motivations driving organic food purchases is highly significant for developing the market [21]. Today, milk and dairy are the most in-demand organic products after organic fruits and vegetables in the organic food market [22].

Milk is a primary nutrient for healthy and adequate nutrition as a substantial source of animal protein for humans. Milk and dairy products are essential for children and adults alike, as they are balanced in nutrient content [23].

According to the 2021 data of the International Dairy Federation (IDF), the European Union ranked first in global cow milk production, with 170.1 million tons, followed by India with 104.5 million tons, and the USA with 101.3 million tons. Türkiye ranked eighth with 21.7 million tons [24]. FAO’s 2021 data indicate that milk consumption per capita was 94.3 kg globally, 344.5 kg in the EU, and 251.9 kg in Türkiye. Although milk and dairy product consumption per capita is higher in developed countries, it continues to increase consistently in developing countries. Population growth, increase in income per capita, urbanization, and dietary habit changes globally impact the demand for milk and dairy products. In Türkiye, milk and dairy product consumption is low compared to countries more developed in this sector. Milk consumption is low due to high production costs and high milk prices in Türkiye. The number of animals per farm and animal milk yield obtained are also lower [25], increasing the costs for industrialists. Thus, high milk prices negatively affect milk consumption in Türkiye.

The fundamental principles of organic dairy cattle breeding are producing adequate amounts of milk and dairy products in the market, utilizing soil and plants in a way that is suitable for the biological environment, maintaining sustainability in pasture and soil structure, using water resources cleanly and effectively, minimizing waste pollution, and offering products that protect human health and are risk-free [26,27]. The most important countries in organic dairy cattle breeding are the USA and Canada. It has been identified that some hormones could lead to cancer generation in humans and animals under laboratory conditions on conventional milk in these countries. Therefore, the demand for organic dairy products has increased [28].

The difference between organic milk and conventional milk from a technical perspective is that organic milk is produced from cows reared on a strictly controlled natural diet and kept healthy without the regular use of medicinal products [29]. It is seen that organic milk produced in many countries, including Türkiye, is offered to consumers after being blended with conventional milk due to insufficient demand [30]. One of the main reasons that limit the purchase of organic milk is that it is more expensive than conventional products due to higher production costs.

Organic milk production in Türkiye rose by 54.11% to 22.5 thousand tons in 2021, amounting to an increase of 14.6 thousand tons compared to 2016 [31]. Attracting more dairy farmers into this industry with strict pasture rules, which increase costs in the organic milk industry, results in high producer costs. As organic milk production increases, it is possible to reduce consumer prices to a more affordable level. Since most consumers choose not to consume organic milk due to high pricing and low family income levels in Türkiye and other countries [32,33], organic milk consumption levels remain low in Türkiye.

Scozzafavo et al. [3] suggested that consumers who received information about animal welfare and the environmental sustainability of organic farms become willing to pay more for organic milk. Another study suggested that when organic milk is perceived as appealing, sales will begin to increase. Knowledge and education appear to be effective in buying organic milk by consumers [29].

There are many studies on organic milk consumption both in Türkiye and across the world. However, the number of consumer studies conducted specifically on organic milk and dairy products is quite limited in Türkiye. Studies show that factors such as price and habit information [34,35,36], health [37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44], taste and income [45,46,47,48], environmental concern [49], knowledge of organic products [25], income [29,33,50,51,52], content [53,54], food safety [33,55], production technique and regional origin [56], and high animal welfare [47] have the highest impact on organic milk consumption.

This research aims to demonstrate the socioeconomic characteristics of consumers living in Kocaeli, their perception of organic milk, and factors affecting organic milk consumption. Based on the results, current problems concerning organic milk production and consumption were identified, and some improvement solutions were offered.

The hypotheses of this research are as follows:

Hypothesis (H1):

The education level of consumers affects organic milk consumption.

Hypothesis (H2):

The age group of consumers affects organic milk consumption.

Hypothesis (H3):

The income level of consumers affects organic milk consumption.

Hypothesis (H4):

Education level affects willingness to pay extra money for organic milk consumption.

Hypothesis (H5):

The age group at the place of purchase affects organic milk consumption.

Hypothesis (H6):

Education level affects choosing the same brand for organic milk consumption.

2. Materials and Methods

Kocaeli province, in the Marmara Region of Türkiye, is the second most densely populated province after Istanbul, with 563 people per km². Kocaeli is one of the most industrialized cities in Türkiye, with a population of 2,033,441 [57]. The primary material of the research was the data collected through face-to-face interviews with selected milk consumers living in İzmit, the central district of Kocaeli province. TUIK’s 2021 Address-Based Population Census data state that there are 371,002 residents in İzmit, the central district of Kocaeli province [57], which constitutes the main population of the research. The research used the following proportional sampling formula to determine the number of consumers to be covered [58]. By this formula, the sample size of İzmit, the central district of the Kocaeli province, was about 384. A confidence level of 95% and an error level of 5% with p = 0.5 and q = 0.5 were used to obtain the maximum sample size.

$$n=\frac{N_p\left(1-p\right)}{\left(N-1\right){\sigma }_{p{x}^2}+p\left(1-p\right)}$$

n = sample size. N = total population in the center district, Kocaeli. p = proportion of consumers who purchase prepared food products. σ_px² = variance.

An ethics committee report, dated 18 June 2021, was obtained from the Social and Human Research Ethics Committee of Kocaeli University with the number 10017888-044-74175. Research surveys were carried out between July and August 2021. In this research, in line with the suggestions of The University Ethics Committee, the participants whose data were collected were guaranteed to be informed about the purposes and benefits of the research, their rights to data protection, how to use the data, and volunteering and withdrawal rights. Participants were consumers who consumed milk. Before collecting data, the questionnaires piloted a consumer sample. A written informed university ethics committee consent form was obtained from interviews and survey respondents, where privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity were ensured. The research questionnaire was performed with transparency and objectivity. The survey was conducted on consumers in front of a grocery store.

The questionnaire form used in the research consisted of three parts. The first part featured questions about sociodemographic characteristics. In the second part, there were questions concerning consumers’ opinions and attitudes about organic milk. The questions in the third part focused on factors that affect organic milk consumption decisions. Before collecting the research data, the questionnaires were piloted on a consumer sample.

The data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 statistical analysis software package. Consumer sociodemographic structure was demonstrated through frequency distributions. The questionnaire form of the research was created using a 5-point Likert scale for the questions to determine the perspectives and attitudes of consumers towards organic milk. Responses were taken on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree).

In addition, the factors affecting organic milk consumption were analyzed through consumer factor analysis, which is a mathematical tool used to examine a wide range of datasets. There are many statistical methods that study the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Factor analysis differs in that it is used to explore the relationship patterns among many dependent variables and to discover the nature of the independent variables that affect them, even though those independent variables were not measured directly [56]. For the survey analyzing data, groups were classified into three categories based on their education level and into four other categories by their age level and income level (

Table 1. Groups of data analysis.

Groups	Consumer Age	Groups	Consumer Education Level	Groups	Household Income Level (USD/Month)
I	18–25	I	Primary	I	<200
II	26–35	II	Secondary	II	201–400
III	36–45	III	University	III	401–600
IV	>46			IV	>601

). At that point, education level groups were defined as Group I (primary education, Group II (secondary education), and Group III (university education). Age level groups were defined as Group I (between 18 and 25 years of age), Group II (between 26 and 35 years of age), Group III (between 36 and 45 years of age), and Group IV (above 46 years of age). Income level groups were defined as follows: Group I (families with an income below USD 200), Group II (families with an income between USD 201 and USD 400), Group III (families with an income between USD 401 and USD 600), and Group IV (families with an income of USD 601 and above). In this study, an χ² test was applied to reveal intergroup differences.

3. Results

3.1. Socioeconomic Characteristics of Consumers

Information about the socioeconomic characteristics of the consumers is shown in

Table 2. Socioeconomic characteristics of consumers.

	n	%		n	%
Gender			Marital Status
Women	246	64.1	Married	168	43.8
Men	138	35.9	Single	195	50.8
			Other	21	5.4
Age
18–25 years old	152	39.6	Household Size
26–35 years old	95	24.7	1–3	147	38.3
36–45 years old	72	18.8	4–6	230	59.9
Older than 46 years old	65	16.9	≥7	7	1.8
Education			Food Expenditure
Primary	56	14.6	Less than USD 100/month	116	30.2
Secondary	169	44.0	USD 101–200/month	160	41.7
University	159	41.4	USD 201–300/month	51	13.3
			More than USD 301/month	57	14.8
Place of residence
Cities	123	32.0	Milk Expenditure
District	233	60.7	Less than USD 20/month	121	31.5
Village	28	7.3	USD 21–40/month	100	26.0
			USD 41–50/month	71	18.5
			More than USD 51/month	92	24.0
Monthly family income			Consumer’s occupation
Less than USD 200/month	4	1.0	Employed	140	36.5
USD 201–400/month	116	30.2	Unemployed	135	35.2
USD 401–600/month	139	36.2	Retired	27	7.0
More than USD 601/month	125	32.6	Student	82	21.3

. As part of the research, face-to-face interviews were held with 384 consumers living in Kocaeli. Of all consumers, 246 (64.1%) were female, and 138 (%35.9) were male. In the consumer groups, there were four age categories, with most consumers (39.6%) belonging to the youngest group (between 18 and 25 years of age).

The questionnaire was based on family size and there were three household sizes, with most consumers (59.9%) having 4–6 members in their family. The average number of household members was 3.76. Of all the consumers, 50.8% were single, 43.8% were married, and 5.4% belonged to the other category.

In terms of the level of education, of all consumers, 14.6% were primary school graduates, 44% were secondary school graduates, and 41.4% had a university degree. A total of 32.0% of the consumers lived in cities, 60.7% in districts, and 7.3% in villages. In this study, the average household income was USD 579.53. In terms of occupation, 7.0% of the interviewed people were retired, 21.3% were students, 35.2% were unemployed, and 36.5% were employed.

The consumers with a monthly food expenditure of between USD 101 and USD 200 had the largest share (41.7%). Finally, 31.5% of the interviewees had a monthly milk expenditure of less than USD 20, whereas 26.0% spent between USD 21 and USD 40, 18.5% spent between USD 41 and USD 50, and 24.0% spent more than USD 51.

3.2. Opinions of Consumers on Milk and Organic Milk

The consumers were asked to sort statements about milk by level of importance.

Table 3. Consumers’ attitudes and behaviors in relation to milk.

Statements		Opinions *
		1	2	3	4	5	Average	S.D.
Milk is an important food for human nutrition.	n	7	10	18	164	185	4.33	0.831
	%	1.8	2.6	4.7	42.7	48.2
People of all ages should drink milk	n	10	20	35	146	173	4.18	0.977
	%	2.6	5.2	9.1	38.0	45.1
Milk consumption should be	n	6	9	61	167	141	4.11	0.866
increased in Türkiye.
	%	1.6	2.3	15.9	43.5	36.7
The milk program distributed to students in elementary school is useful.	n	6	18	70	150	140	4.04	0.936
	%	1.6	4.7	18.2	39.1	36.5
Milk advertisements affect consumption positively.	n	18	29	84	163	90	3.72	1.051
	%	4.7	7.6	21.9	42.4	23.4
Milk should be boiled before consumption.	n	24	41	81	134	104	3.66	1.166
	%	6.3	10.7	21.1	34.9	27.1
The most nutritious animal product is milk.	n	38	41	102	131	72	3.41	1.195
	%	9.9	10.7	26.6	34.1	18.8
Milk increases cholesterol.	n	55	94	150	64	21	2.74	1.068
	%	14.3	24.5	39.1	16.7	5.5
Packaged milk does not contain preservatives.	n	83	94	105	59	43	2.70	1.275
	%	21.6	24.5	27.3	15.4	11.2
Loose milk is harmful to health.	n	101	139	71	42	31	2.38	1.212
	%	26.3	36.2	18.5	10.9	8.1
Milk makes you overweight.	n	113	124	82	43	22	2.32	1.173
	%	29.4	32.3	21.4	11.2	5.7
Packaged milk does not contain additives.	n	117	120	99	28	20	2.26	1.123
	%	30.5	31.3	25.8	7.3	5.2

* Note(s): 5-point Likert scale; 1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree.

shows the findings obtained. The most agreed statement by consumers about milk was “Milk is an important food in human nutrition”, with an average score of 4.33, followed by “People of all ages should drink milk”, with an average score of 4.18, and “Milk consumption should be increased in Türkiye”, with an average score of 4.11. The lowest average score was “Packaged milk does not contain additives”, with 2.26, followed by “Milk makes you overweight”, with an average score of 2.32. These findings indicate that consumers may have a positive perception of the importance of milk in nutrition.

The research findings related to the level of participation of consumers in organic milk statements are given in

Table 4. Consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward organic milk.

Statements		Opinions *
		1	2	3	4	5	Average	S.D.
Organic milk is more expensive.	n	11	8	33	161	171	4.23	0.906
	%	2.9	2.1	8.6	41.9	44.5
Organic milk tastes delicious and is soft to drink.	n	10	18	56	142	158	4.09	0.986
	%	2.6	4.7	14.6	37.0	41.1
Organic milk is not widely available.	n	12	31	56	127	158	4.01	1.079
	%	3.1	8.1	14.6	33.1	41.1
Organic milk is only produced from grass-eating cows reared in natural environments.	n	22	22	73	121	146	3.90	1.144
	%	5.7	5.7	19.0	31.5	38.5
Organic milk has less variety.	n	16	35	63	129	141	3.90	1.124
	%	4.2	9.1	16.4	33.6	36.7
If the price of organic milk dropped, I would buy more.	n	35	30	47	123	149	3.84	1.273
	%	9.1	7.8	12.2	32.0	38.8
There is no difference between organic milk and conventional milk.	n	160	62	50	63	49	2.42	1.475
%	41.7	16.1	13.0	16.4	12.8

* Note(s): 5-point Likert scale; 1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree.

. The average response to the statement “Organic milk is more expensive” is the highest, with a score of 4.23, followed by “Organic milk tastes delicious and is soft to drink” (4.09), and “Organic milk is not widely available” (4.01), respectively. The results of our study support [27], who stated that price was the primary reason for consumers’ choices not to purchase organic milk because it was quite expensive.

To determine their opinions about organic milk, the consumers were asked to compare conventional and organic milk. Figure 1 shows their opinions about the differences between organic and conventional milk. Accordingly, 50.5% of the consumers “strongly agreed” with the statement “Organic milk is more expensive than conventional milk”; 50.3% agreed that “Organic milk is more environmentally friendly than conventional milk”; and 49.74% agreed that “Organic milk tastes better than conventional milk”.

3.3. Opinions of Consumers on Organic Milk Consumption

Survey participants were also asked about the factors affecting their consumption of organic milk. A t-test was performed for consumer age groups, the results of which are given in

Table 5. Differences among the factors that affect decisions about organic milk consumption by age groups.

Factors	Age Group	N	Average	S.D.	t	df	p
Health	I	152	4.227	1.1925
	II III	95 72	4.400 4.000	1.3106 1.5036	79.376	383	0.046 **
	IV	65	4.632	0.5973
Environmental impact	I	152	4.136	0.9902
	II III	95 72	4.171 3.958	1.2715 1.4289	67.729	383	0.004 *
	IV	65	4.211	1.1343
Taste	I	152	3.955	1.2527
	II III	95 72	4.343 4.042	1.1361 1.4590	82.544	383	0.004 *
	IV	65	4.421	0.8377
Appearance	I	152	3.455	1.3355
	II III	95 72	4.057 3.875	1.1617 1.3613	65.614	383	0.028 **
	IV	65	4.263	0.8057
Content	I	152	4.091	0.8679
	II III	95 72	4.143 3.958	1.1413 1.3667	80.295	383	0.025 **
	IV	65	4.368	0.7609
Availability	I	152	4.000	1.0690
	II III	95 72	3.685 3.583	1.3233 1.4421	65.062	383	0.002 *
	IV	65	4.105	0.8753
Price	I	152	3.636	1.4974
	II III	95 72	3.485 3.666	1.3144 1.4645	51.304	383	0.482
	IV	65	4.052	0.9703

Note(s): 5-point Likert scale; 1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree. *, ** Statistically significant at the levels of 0.01 and 0.05, respectively.

. The most influential factors in organic milk consumption were health for age groups I, II, and IV, and taste for age group III. The results of the t-test regarding the factors affecting organic milk consumption revealed that the factors of health (p < 0.05), environmental impact (p < 0.01), taste (p < 0.01), appearance (p < 0.05), content (p < 0.05), and availability (p < 0.01) were statistically significant. Many studies on organic milk consumption have also found that health [17,41], taste [43], and content [46,47] were significant factors affecting consumers.

Table 6. Comparison of the organic milk consumption behaviors of consumers according to groups.

Age Groups					Education Groups			Income Groups
Variables	I	II	III	IV	I	II	III	I	II	III	IV
Organic milk consumption
Yes	120	74	56	53	50	128	125	2	96	102	103
No	32	21	16	12	6	41	34	2	20	37	22
x (p-values)	0.384 (0.943)				4.651 (0.098 *)			6.508 (0.089 *)
Willingness to over- pay
Yes	98	59	53	39	28	118	103	2	75	98	74
No	54	36	19	26	28	51	56	2	41	41	51
x (p-values)	3.418 (0.332)				7.250 (0.027 **)			4.088 (0.252)
The extra price per liter
TRY 0.25–TRY 0.49	7	2	5	2	1	11	4	-	8	6	2
TRY 0.50–TRY 1.00	25	13	7	13	7	28	23	2	21	28	7
TRY 1.01–TRY 1.50	33	15	14	11	13	27	33	-	20	26	27
TRY 1.51 and above	33	29	27	13	7	52	43	-	26	38	38
x (p-values)	14.958 (0.244)				16.165 (0.040 **)			24.543 (0.017 **)
Choice of the same brand
Yes	77	46	39	38	33	91	76	-	62	73	65
No	43	28	17	15	17	37	49	2	34	29	38
x (p-values)	2.163 (0.904)				7.573 (0.109)			10.771 (0.096 *)
Place of purchase
Supermarket	29	20	6	7	5	24	33	-	20	25	17
Organic Marketplace	25	14	13	9	11	26	24	1	24	16	20
Organic Store	59	30	31	27	24	66	57	1	41	49	56
Self-produced	7	10	6	10	10	12	11	-	11	12	10
x (p-values)	15.679 (0.047 **)				12.899 (0.376)			12.899 (0.376)

All figures and tables Notes: *, ** Statistically significant at the levels of 0.10 and 0.05, respectively.

shows the comparison of consumers’ organic milk consumption behaviors based on age, education, and income level. The research featured four groups for age and income and three groups for education. According to research findings, whereas age groups had no difference in organic milk consumption, education (p < 0.10) and income (p < 0.10) groups did. Therefore, H1 and H3 were accepted, whereas H2 was rejected. Willingness to overpay for organic milk was examined by groups, with differences found only between education level groups (p < 0.05). Thus, H4 was accepted. The use of the same brand for organic milk consumption had differences in terms of income groups (p < 0.10). The relation between the level of education and the choice of the same brand for organic milk consumption was determined as insignificant (p > 0.10). Therefore, H6 was rejected. It cannot be confirmed that the level of education positively impacts the choice of the same brand for organic milk consumption. A significance was found in the place of purchase in the comparison between age groups (p < 0.05). It was determined that age groups’ organic milk consumption had a positive impact on the place of purchase, and H5 was accepted.

As seen in Figure 2, consumers of different education level groups were asked about the organic milk products they consumed. Among the organic milk products consumed, butter had the largest share (89.2%) among primary school graduates. In the same way, butter had the highest share (57.9%) among consumers who have completed secondary education. However, among the university graduates, those who consumed yogurt had the largest share (57.2%). Buttermilk and cheese were among the other organic dairy products that consumers preferred the most.

Factors affecting organic milk consumption by the consumers involved in the research were determined through factor analysis. Factor analysis is a widely used multivariate statistical analysis technique to transform multiple interrelated variables into fewer significant independent factors [59]. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) value and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity were taken into account to determine whether a factor analysis could be conducted. The KMO value should be above 0.5 because the higher the value, the better the dataset is for factor analysis [60]. The KMO value was found to be 0.823, and the result of Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity was p = 0.00 < 0.05.

The factor analysis results identified four factors with a high eigenvalue (higher than 21) (see

Table 7. Factor analysis results of the research.

Variables	Factor	Eigenvalue	Variance	Cumulative Variance
Health	1	4.212	28.082	28.082
Environmental impact	2	1.973	13.155	41.237
Taste	3	1.274	8.491	49.729
Appearance	4	1.093	7.286	57.014
Content	5	0.891	5.941	62.956
Availability	6	0.808	5.388	68.344
Price	7	0.76	5.065	73.409
Nutritiveness	8	0.705	4.7	78.109
Animal products	9	0.633	4.223	82.332
Reliability	10	0.58	3.867	86.199
Hormone-free content	11	0.534	3.56	89.758
Diversity	12	0.45	3	92.758
Level of knowledge about organic milk	13	0.439	2.925	95.684
Proximity of the store	14	0.335	2.231	97.915
Ease of drinking	15	0.313	2.085	100
Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling adequacy		0.823
Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity	chi-square	1513.124
	df	105
	p	0.000

). The eigenvalue for a given factor measures the variance in all variables calculated by that factor. The ratio of eigenvalues means the ratio of factors’ explanatory significance by variables. A factor with a low eigenvalue contributes little to the explanation of variances in variables and can be omitted because it is unnecessary with more significant factors [61].

Factors 1, 2, 3, and 4 explained 28.08%, 13.15%, 8.49%, and 7.29% of the variance, respectively. These factors cumulatively explain 57.01% of the variance.

According to the rotation results of the factor analysis, Factor 1 (“price, product perception, and availability”) covered environmental impact, taste, appearance, content, availability, and price. Factor 2 (“reliability and diversity”) covered reliability, hormone-free content, diversity, the proximity of the store, and ease of drinking. Factor 3 (“health and awareness”) covered health and the level of knowledge about organic milk. Factor 4 (“nutritiveness and animal food”) covered recommendations by others, nutritiveness, and animal products (see

Table 8. Rotation results of factor analysis.

Variables	Factor 1	Factor 2	Factor 3	Factor 4
Health	0.407	0.095	0.664	0.058
Environmental impact	0.587	0.173	0.220	−0.062
Taste	0.653	0.104	0.464	0.083
Appearance	0.716	0.033	0.081	0.105
Content	0.696	0.105	0.337	−0.011
Availability	0.823	0.028	0.058	−0.007
Price	0.718	0.064	−0.086	0.013
Nutritiveness	−0.038	0.227	0.174	0.715
Animal products	0.243	0.194	−0.257	0.669
Reliability	0.108	0.641	0.282	0.235
Hormone-free content	0.014	0.771	−0.029	−0.093
Diversity	0.075	0.668	−0.052	0.164
Level of knowledge about organic milk	0.073	0.041	0.689	−0.054
Proximity of the store	0.204	0.490	−0.012	−0.530
Ease of drinking	0.108	0.592	0.368	0.277
Eigenvalue	4.212	1.973	1.274	1.093
Variance	28.082	13.155	8.491	7.286
Cumulative variance	28.082	41.237	49.729	57.014
Cronbach’s Alphas	0.830	0.747	0.689	0.719

Cronbach’s Alphas 0.830, 0.747, 0.689, 0.719.

).

As a result of the findings reached by the analyses performed; H1, H3, H4, and H5 were accepted and H2 and H6 were rejected. Details of the hypotheses are shown in

Table 9. Hypotheses.

	Hypothesis	Result
H1	The education level of consumers affects organic milk consumption.	Accepted
H2	The age group of consumers affects organic milk consumption.	Rejected
H3	The income level of consumers affects organic milk consumption.	Accepted
H4	Education level affects willingness to pay extra money for organic milk consumption.	Accepted
H5	The age group at the place of purchase affects organic milk consumption.	Accepted
H6	Education level affects choosing the same brand for organic milk consumption.	Rejected

.

4. Discussion

Conscious consumer behavior plays a significant role in ensuring the sustainability of the world’s limited resources. The consumer interest in organic food resulting from the increasing search for natural and reliable food products that protect the environment in recent years has led to a parallel increase in the demand for organic products. Therefore, encouraging consumers to choose sustainable food products significantly contributes to the continuity of food supply for future generations.

This study examined organic milk perceptions and the factors that affect organic milk consumption among consumers in Türkiye. In this study, consumers generally consider milk an important food for human nutrition that should be consumed at any age. The majority of participants were young female high-school graduates between 18 and 25 years of age who were in the middle-income group. More than half of consumers consumed organic milk. Most consumers who preferred organic milk were younger and had higher education and income levels. In a similar study to the results of the research, the young people whose income was below the poverty level did not consume organic milk [33]. The fact that organic milk consumers had a substantial educational background and young women had a higher desire to consume organic milk in a study conducted by [42] in China is similar to the consumer properties in this study. The fact that most organic milk consumers in this study had higher incomes is coherent with the results of other studies. According to Dimitri and Dettmann’s [51] research, consumers with lower incomes are less likely to purchase organic milk. In another study, Almarri and Al-Mahishi [44] observed that consumers’ willingness to pay for organic milk increased as their incomes did in Arabia. Bahsi et al. [52] also state that income has a significant impact on consumers’ willingness to pay more for organic milk, which indicates similar results. A study conducted in Germany also highlighted the fundamental decisive role of price and habit formation in the decision to purchase organic milk among consumers [34]. However, Turan et al. [53] stated that consumers with middle income were more willing to pay more for organic milk than consumers with high income, on the contrary.

The research findings reveal that consumers generally perceive organic milk as expensive and tasty. In a study conducted with students from the province of İzmir in Türkiye about organic milk consumption, the students who thought organic milk was expensive were less likely to consume it. This is similar to the fact that price is an important factor in this study [33]. In the same vein, consumers in the USA gave higher scores to the taste of organic milk than conventional milk in a study conducted by Liu et al. [48], which supports the case for the impact of taste on consumers’ choices of organic milk. Moreover, the consumers involved in this study stated that they found organic milk tastier, more expensive, and more environmentally friendly than conventional milk.

This study indicates the fact that organic milk is not widely available is an important factor affecting purchasing decisions. Another research conducted among consumers in Teheran also reveals that the distance to places where organic milk is sold has a negative impact on consumers’ decisions to purchase organic milk, which supports the results of this study [50].

As per the factor analysis results, it was determined that the most influential factors affecting the organic milk consumption of Turkish consumers were “price, product perception, and availability” (environmental impact, taste, appearance, price, etc.) and “reliability and diversity” (reliability, hormone-free content, diversity, etc.). Another study [54] emphasized that consumers preferred organic milk products because they were healthy and reliable with high nutritional value. It is seen that the study results are generally coherent with the results of similar studies. In a survey conducted in Türkiye, most of the participants reported that they preferred organic milk because they believed that organic milk production supports animal welfare [47].

Considering the overall results of this study, it is clear that the demand for organic milk has been steadily increasing in recent years. It can be concluded that the primary reason behind this is the increasing consumer consciousness about healthy food and sustainable consumption. Within this context, ensuring that consumers can affordably and conveniently access organic milk would support healthy and sustainable food consumption.

5. Conclusions

Today, consumers seek natural and reliable food products, which, in turn, leads them to opt for sustainable food products that protect their health and the environment. The primary products in ensuring sustainable food consumption are organic food products.

Dairy products occupy a significant position among organic foods in Türkiye and other countries. Due to the growing global population and the increasingly conscious consumer profile, an increase in the demand for organic milk and organic milk consumption per capita is expected in the upcoming years.

The European Union Commission report, which features efforts concerning the struggle against climate change in the global agriculture industry, warns EU members and candidate countries of the need to accelerate efforts to plan actions against climate change and organic-certified production together, as organic production contributes more to sustainability and the struggle against climate change than conventional production. Therefore, accelerating efforts toward advancing organic-certified bovine milk and dairy products in the Turkish dairy industry is essential since consumers’ perceptions and demands for certified organic food products are increasing as they consider their concern for food safety, sustainable consumption consciousness, and environment–climate sensitivity. Within this scope, adopting policies aimed at reducing production costs and organic milk prices and supporting producers willing to raise organic dairy cattle in Türkiye is critical for ensuring sustainability in milk production.

The research on organic milk production reveals that consumers find the price of organic milk to be high. It is expected that if organic milk prices decrease to levels close to that of conventional milk, more consumers will prefer organic milk products. The results of this regional study will contribute to the measures and investments that can be taken for organic milk producers at the provincial level. In addition, the findings of this study will serve as a guide for other similar research to be carried out at the country level. The research will especially help new entrepreneurs who are thinking of investing in this area.

Consequently, organic milk consumer preferences in different regions of Türkiye should be determined by research, and different forms of presentation and marketing should be created by taking into account the preferences in each region. It is believed that comparing the findings of this study with those of future studies to be conducted on organic milk and dairy products in other regions would make significant contributions to the development of the organic milk market and sustainable consumption. In addition, the results from this study will help policymakers and decision-makers develop new policies and strategies.