Consumers’ Perception and Purchase Intention Towards Local Food: A Case Study in Sulaimani City

Abstract

Local food production in a short distance for consumers depends on a social structure and supply chain system. In simple terms, the local food system is all about producing and selling food within a particular area. Decisions by individuals, households, and society regarding the utilization and disposal of food, as well as efforts to share food with others, are influenced by various factors such as gender, age, and social dynamics. Additionally, actions aimed at fostering transformations in food environments are also taken into account in order to achieve these goals, a questionnaire- based was carried out in the Sulaimani City in KRG-Iraq. Data was collected from consumers who were participated by an online-google form. A total number of 469 questionnaires were validated. A principal component analysis was run, followed by cluster analysis. The results lead to 3 cluster solution: “local food consumers”, “local agricultural supporters”, “health concerned”, being statistically significant different in terms of socio-demographic characteristics. The results are useful for future development policies of the local products.

Keywords

• consumers’ attitude
• consumer behaviour
• food system