Assessment of local food use in the context of sustainable food: A research in food and beverage enterprises in Izmir, Turkey

The purpose of this study is to determine the importance given by food and beverage enterprises to local foods within the understanding of food sustainability and to evaluate the present application in these enterprises within this regard. Semi structured interview technique among qualitative research techniques was used. Interviews were made with the authorities (chef, chef & owner, sous chef, business manager and employer) of food and beverage enterprises (n = 25) determined through purposive sampling method. As the result of the study, it was detected that local food products were present in the kitchen (n = 16) and in the menus (n= 19) of food and beverage enterprises. Most of the enterprises which use local food during food preparation, stated that they did not have any problems in the cost (n = 14), accessibility (n = 13), product quality (n = 13) and seasonality (n = 13) among the obstacles determined based on the related literature. Prevailing motivation sources in local food preference were determined as good taste (n = 12), freshness (n = 10), enterprise concept (n = 8), menu continuity (n = 6) and customer demand (n = 3) in order. Sustainability was not mentioned as a motivation source for the enterprises. It was determined that only three of the enterprises had food sustainability perception, whereas sustainability of the culinary culture was among the objectives of seven of them. Although the products of local food take place in food and beverage enterprises for this sample, it is concluded that this is not done with a consciousness of sustainable food.