Risk Perceptions and Behaviours of Food Engineering Students About Food Safety: The Case Study of Hatay Mustafa Kemal University

Abstract

Food safety is an important issue that concerns every consumer. In order to ensure food safety, the level of consumers‘ awareness is important as well as the psychical environment of the food production process. According to some previous studies about food safety, a significant portion of food poisoning or various food-related illnesses are caused by improper food practices at home. This study aimed at determining the knowledge level, behaviour, and risk perception of food engineering students regarding food safety. According to the research results: 74,79% of the students "always" look at the expiration dates of food products while shopping; they trust supermarkets the most when purchasing meat products; and they consider genetically modified products (GMOs) to be the most risky food product group.