Purpose

The study examines the interrelationships of food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices, and the moderating effect of food safety training on the said interrelationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Predictive-causal was the primary research design used and partial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was the statistical technique applied.

Findings

Results showed that food safety knowledge significantly and positively influences attitudes towards food safety. It was further revealed that attitudes toward food safety and food safety practices are also significantly and positively related. Moderation analysis indicated that food safety training moderates the significant and positive relationship between attitudes towards food safety and food safety practices.

Research limitations/implications

The present study has limitations. First, the unit of analysis is focused on food handlers in fast-food restaurants in Angeles City, Philippines. Other researchers may come up with similar studies on a larger scale – provincial, regional or national. Second, only food safety training as a construct was used as a moderator on the hypothesized relationships of the structural model. Other studies may expand and explore other moderating variables and/or mediating constructs that may affect the said hypothesized relationships.

Practical implications

Based on the present study, food safety knowledge was found to have a huge significant and direct influence on attitudes of fast-food restaurant food handlers towards food safety, as evidenced by the computed effect size. In short, knowledge on food safety is an integral factor when it comes to enhancing food safety attitudes of fast-food restaurant food handlers. When fast-food restaurant food handlers are well-equipped with the right food safety knowledge, they become more aware of the different food safety protocols and other pertinent food safety guidelines and procedures which can lead to favorable food safety attitudes.

Social implications

The present study highlighted the moderating effect of food safety training on the relationship between attitudes toward food safety and food safety practices. Therefore, regular attendance of food handlers to food safety training is crucial in developing acceptable attitudes toward food safety, which in turn, favorably affect their food safety practices in fast-food restaurants.

Originality/value

The current study utilized PLS-SEM, a second-generation statistical technique, to measure the hypothesized relationships as compared to correlation tests performed by prior studies on the interrelationships of food safety knowledge, attitudes toward food safety and food safety practices. PLS-SEM is suitable for this type of research design – predictive-causal – since this study involves model development and prediction. Furthermore, it employed moderation analysis to measure the moderating effects of food safety training on the identified hypothesized relationships of the structural model. Hence, methodologically, the present study employed new ways and insights in measuring the interrelationships of food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices.

中文翻译：

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快餐餐厅食品从业人员的食品安全知识，态度，做法和培训：适度分析

目的

该研究考察了食品安全知识，态度和实践之间的相互关系，以及食品安全培训对上述相互关系的调节作用。

设计/方法/方法

预测因果关系是使用的主要研究设计，偏最小二乘法–结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）是应用的统计技术。

发现

结果表明，食品安全知识对食品安全态度有显着和积极的影响。进一步发现，对食品安全和食品安全实践的态度也有显着正相关。适度分析表明，食品安全培训减轻了人们对食品安全态度与食品安全实践之间的显着积极关系。

研究局限/意义

本研究有局限性。首先，分析单元的重点是菲律宾安吉利斯市快餐店的食品处理人员。其他研究人员可能会进行较大规模的类似研究-省，地区或国家。其次，仅将食品安全培训作为构建体用作结构模型假设关系的主持人。其他研究可以扩展和探索可能影响所述假设关系的其他调节变量和/或中介构造。

实际影响

根据本研究，发现食品安全知识对快餐店食品从业人员对食品安全的态度具有巨大的直接影响，这一点可以通过计算得出的效应值来证明。简而言之，在提高快餐店食品处理人员的食品安全态度时，食品安全知识是不可或缺的因素。当快餐店的食品从业人员充分掌握正确的食品安全知识时，他们就会更加了解不同的食品安全协议以及其他相关的食品安全准则和程序，这些做法可能会导致对食品安全的态度良好。

社会影响

本研究强调了食品安全培训对食品安全态度与食品安全实践之间关系的调节作用。因此，食品从业人员的定期参加食品安全培训对于培养对食品安全的可接受态度至关重要，而这反过来又有利于影响他们在快餐店的食品安全实践。

创意/价值

当前的研究使用第二代统计技术PLS-SEM来测量假设的关系，与先前对食品安全知识，对食品安全的态度和食品安全实践的相互关系的研究进行的相关测试相比。PLS-SEM适合这种类型的研究设计-预测因果关系-因为这项研究涉及模型开发和预测。此外，它采用调节分析来测量食品安全培训对已识别的结构模型的假设关系的调节作用。因此，从方法上讲，本研究采用了新的方法和见解来衡量食品安全知识，态度和实践之间的相互关系。