Food safety in restaurants: The consumer perspective

• Published in: International journal of hospitality management 2019-01, Vol.77, p.139-146
• Main Authors: Bai, Li, Wang, Mingliang, Yang, Yinsheng, Gong, Shunlong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Choice; Consumers; Food safety; Indicators; Perceptions; Restaurant
• ISSN: 0278-4319; 1873-4693
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.06.023

•Indicators that consumers employ to evaluate restaurant food safety were revealed.•It is the first in-depth analysis in revealing the indicators in Mainland China.•“Sensory perception” and “restaurant environment” are preferred indicators.•The use of indicators varied across consumer subgroups.•Restaurants in Mainland China could gain inspirations from the findings. The study aimed to reveal the indicators that consumers in Mainland China employ to evaluate food safety level of restaurants and find how the use of them varies across consumer subgroups. A national survey was carried out and 1076 respondents completed questionnaires which consisted of 33 questions. The results showed that the consumers preferred to assess a restaurant’s food safety level based on “sensory perception of food” and “restaurant environment”. Although official inspection certificate is one of the reliable indicators, the consumers seldom use it. Furthermore, consumers from different subgroups used different indicators. The females were much more finicky – they employed more indicators to protect them from unsafe restaurants. These results demonstrated a need for better education to create discerning consumers to expel those that fail to deliver safe food. Restaurants can rely on the results to develop effective marketing communication to match the consumers’ decision attributes.