Serving food safety: consumer perceptions of food safety at restaurants

Abstract

Purpose -The goals of this study were to study consumer perceptions of food safety at restaurants and to compare these results to those of other food system actors. Design/methodology/approach -The data for this study were gathered from telephone interviews conducted with 1,014 randomly selected US adults. Findings -The main findings were that a substantial number of consumers think about food safety in general and particularly when eating at restaurant establishments; and while a majority of consumers stated that restaurants were doing a good job, were capable, and were committed to food safety, in comparison to other actors, restaurants ranked significantly lower than farmers, food processors and manufacturers, and grocery stores and supermarkets.Research limitations/implications -A limitation of this study was that distinctions were not made between fast food and sit-down restaurants or other types of restaurants, e.g. chains, independent, and ethnic. These results highlight the need for more comprehensive studies on how food safety issues affect consumer perceptions of restaurants and how these perceptions affect consumer behavior. Practical implications -The findings reinforce the importance of food safety behaviors at restaurants, particularly in the areas of personal hygiene and workplace sanitation, food handling, and food preparation. Originality/value -This paper helps restaurant managers to better understand consumer perceptions of food safety and highlights the importance of instituting and monitoring food safety practices.

Is lowering reducing sugars concentration in French fries an effective measure to reduce acrylamide concentration in food service establishments?

“…However, data on the effectiveness of control measures in real food service establishments (FSEs) are very limited although French fries are widely prepared in FSE. The final preparation of French fries in FSE is considered as the key end point in the food production chain (Knight, Worosz, & Todd, 2007) and also the most critical point (Sanny, Luning, Marcelis, Jinap, & van Boekel, 2010), because acrylamide is formed towards the end of the frying process (Amrein, Andres, Escher, & Amadó, 2007;Fiselier, Bazzocco, Gama-Baumgartner, & Grob, 2006). Grob (2005) reported that recommendations on how to prepare French fries with less acrylamide were given to restaurants in Switzerland and found that 91% of the 157 French fries samples studied remained below 200 lg/kg with a median at 76 lg/kg.…”

Food safety practices and managers' perceptions: a qualitative study in hospitality

“…Consumers' concerns and new food safety issues are the drivers for this heightened awareness (WHO, 2007). Knight et al, (2007) assessed consumers' perceptions of restaurant food safety and found that consumers in the United States (U.S.) believed restaurants were capable of producing and serving safe food yet rated restaurants as less capable of providing safe food compared to grocery stores and producers (farmers). In the U.S., many states require the foodservice person in charge and other employees to demonstrate knowledge of food safety; although training alone may not be sufficient to improve food handlers safe food practices (York et al, 2009).…”

An In-Depth Thematic Analysis of Customer Driven Factors Influencing the Purchase Decisions of Guests in Four and Five Star Hotels in Kenya

“…These are clearly problematic in light of Burusnukul, Binkley and Sukalakamala, (2011) who contended that outbreaks of food borne illnesses in the past have drawn attention to food safety in restaurants. Henson et al (as quoted by Knight, Worosz & Todd, 2007) had likewise named cleanliness as the most important factor among customers in determining the level of food safety at a restaurant. Walter et al (2010) further expounded that poor hygiene contributes to unfavourable customer experiences while Knight, Worosz and Todd (2007) on the outset explained that when customers perceive lack of food safety at a restaurant, they tend to look for safer premises.…”