The Mediating Effect of Food Safety Culture on the Relationship between Safe Food Handling Knowledge and Practices and Customer Satisfaction on Food Service Establishment

Customer satisfaction serves as a vital metric, essentially reflecting how customers evaluate their service experiences against their initial expectations. This study determined the mediating effect of the food safety culture on the relationship between safe food handling knowledge and practices and customer satisfaction. This study utilizes quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive, correlational research design and mediation analysis with 100 samples from customers. This study used convenience sampling technique. The statistical tools used in this study are mean, pearson r, and path analysis. The study's findings demonstrated that the level of food safety culture, safe food handling knowledge and practices and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, there was a significant interrelationship in food safety culture, safe food handling knowledge and practices and customer satisfaction. Also, a significant partial mediation effect of food safety culture was observed in the relationship between safe food handling knowledge and practices and customer satisfaction. This means that a high level of safe food handling knowledge and practices enables food establishments to implement effective safety measures, which in turn fosters a stronger food safety culture. This positive culture enhances customer satisfaction by ensuring consistency, trust, and a high standard of safety in food services.

safe food handling knowledge and practices, customer satisfaction, food safety culture, mediation analysis, Philippines

1. Alemayehu, T., Aderaw, Z., Giza, M., & Diress, G. (2021). Food safety knowledge, handling practices and associated factors among food handlers working in food establishments in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020: institution-based cross-sectional study. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 1155-1163. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Ali, A. M., Hassan, S. M., & Hassan, A. A. (2024). Food safety handling knowledge, attitude, practice and associated factors among the food handlers in restaurants: The case of Gode town, Somali Region, Ethiopia. J Food Chem Nanotechnol, 10(4), 182-191. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Alsaqer, S., Katar, I., & Abdelhadi, A. (2024). The role of total quality management in enhancing customer satisfaction in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. MethodsX, 13, 102854. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Aquino, H. V. A., Yap, T., Lacap, J. P. G., Tuazon, G., & Flores, M. (2021). Food safety knowledge, attitudes, practices and training of fast-food restaurant food handlers: a moderation analysis. British Food Journal, 123(12), 3824-3840. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Aquino, H. V. A., Yap, T., Lacap, J. P. G., Tuazon, G., & Flores, M. (2021). Food safety knowledge, attitudes, practices and training of fast-food restaurant food handlers: a moderation analysis. British Food Journal, 123(12), 3824-3840. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Ateye, M. D., Ali, A. M., Hassan, S. M., & Hassan, A. A. (2024). Food safety handling knowledge, attitude, practice, and associated factors among the food handlers in restaurants: The case of Gode Town, Somali Region, Ethiopia. J Food Chem Nanotechnol, 10(4), 182–191. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Awogbemi, C. A., Alagbe, S. A., & Oloda, F. S. S. (2022). On the path analysis techniques and decomposition of correlation coefficients. Asian Journal of Probability and Statistics, 20(4), 208–219. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Bashir, A., Kamaruddin, S., Ismail, N., & Rahman, M. (2024). Safe bites on the streets: An analysis of food safety and hygiene among Shah Alam's street food vendors. e-AJUITM, 13(2). Retrieved from https://e-ajuitmct.uitm.edu.my/v3/images/2024/Vol13Issue2/12_Safe_Bites_on_the_Streets_An_Analysis_of_Food_Safety_and_Hygiene_Among_Shah_Alam_s_Street_Food_Vendors.pdf4o [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Bennett, J. (2021). Issues of food safety and quality in Canada: A consumer perspective. Canadian Journal of Food Safety, 9(3), 45–60. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Bhandari, P. (2020). How to find the mean: Definition, examples & calculator. Scribbr. Retrieved from https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/mean/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Camarillo, M. E. C., Piña, A. E. D., Ocaña, S. B., & Anam, J. V. F. (2021). Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) analysis on customer satisfaction of the bakeshops: A case of first-class municipalities in Cebu, Philippines. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Cavelius, L. S., Goebelbecker, J., & Morlock, G. E. (2023). Legal and normative requirements for food safety culture –a consolidated overview for food companies within the EU. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Cha, J., & Borchgrevink, C. P. (2019). Customers’ perceptions in value and food safety on customer satisfaction and loyalty in restaurant environments: moderating roles of gender and restaurant types. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 20(2), 143–161. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Coutelle, P., Morgan, J., & Stevens, L. (2020). The relationship between pricing strategies and consumer perceived value in food service. Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behavior, 28(1), 45-62. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. da Vitória, A.G., de Souza Couto Oliveira, J., de Almeida Pereira, L.C. et al. (2021). Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers: A cross-sectional study in school kitchens in Espírito Santo, Brazil. BMC Public Health, 21, 349. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Elobeid, T., Savvaidis, I., & Ganji, V. (2019). Impact of food safety training on the knowledge, practice, and attitudes of food handlers working in fast-food restaurants. British Food Journal, 121(4), 937-949. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Fishbein, M., Robinson, K., & Miller, P. (2023). Organizational commitment in the food service industry: Motivations and challenges. Journal of Business Ethics, 32(2), 120-138. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Fleetwood, D. (2023). Correlational research: What it is with examples. QuestionPro. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Gunawardane, G. (2023). Enhancing customer satisfaction and experience in financial services: A survey of recent research in financial services journals. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 28, 255–269. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Hallencreutz, J., & Parmler, J. (2021). Important drivers for customer satisfaction–from product focus to image and service quality. Total quality management & business excellence, 32(5-6), 501-510. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Hussain, S., Ahmad, N. H., & Syed, T. (2025). Green and smart: Sustainable performance of Pakistani SME hotels: The mediating effect of eco-innovation and the moderating role of artificial intelligence capability. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 7(6), 2025283–2025283. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Jiang, L., & Xu, W. (2022). The role of leadership in food safety policy implementation. Journal of Workplace Safety and Compliance, 15(2), 55-70. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Karim, H., Yusof, N., & Abdullah, M. (2024). Hygiene practices in food service receiving areas: Implications for safety and quality control. Journal of Food Safety, 40(2), 115-130. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Kim, B., Kim, S., & Heo, C. Y. (2019). Consequences of customer dissatisfaction in upscale and budget hotels: Focusing on dissatisfied customers’ attitudes toward a hotel. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 20(1), 15–46. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Maquera, R., & Cárdenas, P. (2024). Food logistics and safety: A comprehensive analysis of transportation practices. International Journal of Food Distribution, 22(4), 201-217. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Mazhar, M., Hooi Ting, D., Zaib Abbasi, A., Nadeem, M. A., & Abbasi, H. A. (2022). Gauging customers’ negative disconfirmation in online post-purchase behaviour: The moderating role of service recovery. Cogent Business & Management, 9(1), 2072186. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. McCombes, S. (2022). Descriptive research | Definition, types, methods & examples. Scribbr. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Miftari, I., Imami, D., Kaliji, S. A., Canavari, M., & Gjokaj, E. (2024). Analyzing consumer perceptions about food safety by applying the food-related lifestyle approach. Italian Journal of Food Safety. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Musaeva, N. (2022). Leadership styles and their impact on employee performance in the food industry. Business Management Review, 18(4), 98-112. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Ngah, A., Roslan, M., & Ibrahim, S. (2022). The impact of physical environment on customer experience in the food service industry. Hospitality and Tourism Journal, 20(3), 115-130. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Nguyen, T., & Nguyen, P. (2021). Clarifying causal mediation analysis: Effect identification via three approaches. PubMed. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17(4), 460–479. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Oyeniyi, J. O., & Abiodun, A. J. (2019). Customer satisfaction and organizational performance of the Nigerian banking sub-sector. International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 8(3), 79-87. Retrieved from https://ijbmi.org/papers/Vol%288%293/Series-5/M0803057987.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Padmaningrum, D., Fauza, G., Karunia, A. R., Juego, B., Nursiwi, A., Ariviani, S., & Prasetyo, H. (2023). Does food safety knowledge influence customer expectation and perception on restaurant’s quality attributes? Jurnal Teknologi Hasil Pertanian, 16(2). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Pai, A., Jaiswal, S., & Jaiswal, A. K. (2024). A comprehensive review of food safety culture in the food industry: Leadership, organizational commitment, and multicultural dynamics. Foods, 13(24), 4078. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V., & Berry, L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Pooja, B. (2019). Types of sampling in research. Journal of the Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences, 5(3), 157–163. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Pramudiansyah, A. (2024). Cold storage management and its role in food safety. Food Science and Technology Journal, 12(1), 45-60. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Rahmawati, S., Idris, F., & Setiawan, T. (2024). The role of employee training in enhancing service quality in the food industry. Journal of Human Resource Development, 14(2), 67-82. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Ramasamy, G., Ramasamy, G. D., & Ramasamy, P. (2024). Conceptual review of consumer satisfaction theories with expectation-confirmation and disconfirmation paradigm for business sustainable growth and decision-making. F1000Research, 13, 1399. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Ramirez, L. A., Adovas, A. B., & Labadan, M. A. (2024). Assessing cleanliness standards: A study on food hubs in Saranay, Caloocan City from the perspective of consumers. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Riak, G. A., & Bill, D. B. (2022). The role of client satisfaction in the banking sector. IJRDO - Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 8(11), 75–76. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Rifa'i, A. A. (2023). Impact of work discipline on employee performance. Jurnal Ekonomi, Manajemen Dan Akuntansi, 1(01), 1–8. Retrieved from https://ip2i.org/jip/index.php/ema/article/view/33 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. Robson, K. (2020). Service-Ability: Create a customer centric culture and achieve competitive advantage. Wiley. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

46. Schuler, M., et al. (2024). Sampling weighting strategies in causal mediation analysis. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 24(1). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

47. Spagnoli, P., Defalchidu, L., Vlerick, P., & Jacxsens, L. (2024). The relationship between food safety culture maturity and cost of quality: An empirical pilot study in the food industry. Foods, 13(4), 571. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

48. Spagnoli, P., Defalchidu, L., Vlerick, P., & Jacxsens, L. (2024). The relationship between food safety culture maturity and cost of quality: An empirical pilot study in the food industry. Foods, 13(4), 571. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

49. Sulastri, R. (2023). The impact of communication strategies on employee performance in the food service sector. Organizational Behavior Journal, 21(3), 77-90. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

50. Suresh, V., Vasani, N. T., Thakarar, A. M., & Abdulkareem, M. (2024). Service quality and customer satisfaction with special reference to restaurants. Preprints. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

51. Teffo, L.A., & Tabit, F.T. (2020). An assessment of the food safety knowledge and attitudes of food handlers in hospitals. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 311. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

52. Teo, T., Wong, H., & Lim, J. (2021). The relationship between work commitment and employee performance in food service businesses. Human Resources and Organizational Behavior Journal, 19(1), 65-82. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

53. Trisna, M., Hanifatul, R. M., Syahreza, M., & Melliana, M. (2024). Pengaruh kualitas pelayanan jasa, harga dan fasilitas terhadap kepuasan pelanggan di PT Semenanjung Televisi Kabel. JIME (Journal of Industrial and Manufacture Engineering, 8(2), 231–244. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

54. Tuglo, L. S., Agordoh, P. D., Tekpor, D., Pan, Z., Agbanyo, G., & Chu, M. (2021). Food safety knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices of street-cooked food handlers in North Dayi District, Ghana. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 26(1), 54. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

55. Turney, S. (2022, February 13). Pearson correlation coefficient (r): Guide & examples. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/mean/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

56. Vasani, R., Patel, K., & Sharma, D. (2024). Determinants of food and service quality in restaurants: A consumer perspective. Journal of Culinary Arts, 30(1), 89-104. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

57. Velasco, J. K. D., Tatoy, A. A., Dela Cruz, C. L., & Monzon-Po, S. (2021). Level of customer satisfaction on small online food businesses opened during the pandemic in the south of Metro Manila: Basis for enhancements for small online food businesses. Manila Tytana Colleges, Philippines. Retrieved from Academia.edu [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

58. Wei, Y. P. (2021). The effect of food safety-related attributes on customer satisfaction of ready-to-eat foods at hypermarkets. Sustainability, 13(19), 10554. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

59. Wei, Y. P. (2021). The effect of food safety-related attributes on customer satisfaction of ready-to-eat foods at hypermarkets. Sustainability, 13(19), 10554. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

60. Zaitun, M. (2024). Sanitation practices in commercial kitchens: A guide to safe food preparation. Journal of Hospitality and Food Service, 18(3), 78-95. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Indirect Effect of Liquidity and Activity on Company Value with Profitability as an Intervening Variable
• Effect of Financial Skills, Knowledge, and Attitude on The Financial Behaviour of Clergy
• A Decade of Review: Trends in Budget Execution and Financial Performance of Development Projects in Tanzania (2014/15-2023/24)
• The Influence of Pre-Project Planning on the Budget Absorption Rate of Public Funded Infrastructure Projects in Kenya a Comparative Case Study of Narok, Migori, and Kisii County Government Projects
• Assessment of Factors Influencing Digital Transformation in Hotels’ Facility Management in Abuja Metropolis, Nigeria