Food Protection Trends - January/February 2023 - 61

Basem A. Boutros1* and Kevin R. Roberts2
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
Food Protection Trends, Vol 43, No. 1, p. 61-80
https://doi.org/10.4315/FPT-22-021
1
Dept. of Human Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Sam Houston
State University, 1700 University Ave., Suite 119, Box 2177,
Huntsville, TX 77341, USA
2
Dept. of Hospitality Management, College of Health and Human
Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Copyright©
2023, International Association for Food Protection
2900 100th Street, Suite 309, Des Moines, IA 50322-3855, USA
Assessing Food Safety Culture: A Comparative
Study between Independent and Chain Mexican
and Chinese Restaurants
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to assess the food safety culture in
independent and chain Mexican and Chinese restaurants
based on food handlers' demographics and operational
characteristics. A self-administered questionnaire was
designed to collect data on-site from a stratified random
sample of 300 food handlers, with the goal of having
75 food handlers from each stratum of independent
and chain Mexican and Chinese restaurants. A total of
106 restaurants agreed to participate. This included 31
independent Chinese restaurants, 28 independent Mexican
restaurants, 16 chain Chinese restaurants, and 31 chain
Mexican restaurants. Independent t-tests and a one-way
analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. There
were significant differences in food handlers' perceptions
of leadership and environmental support in Mexican
versus Chinese restaurants. Significant differences were
found between the food handlers who received food
safety training and those who did not. The respondents'
perception of leadership was significantly different among
restaurants with different types of service. Perception
*Author for correspondence: Phone: +1 936.294.4959; Email: bab151@shsu.edu
January/February Food Protection Trends
61
of commitment to food safety was significantly different
among food handlers of different ethnicities. Restaurant
operators are recommended to focus on leadership styles,
enhanced food safety training, and a physical environment
more supportive of a positive food safety culture.
INTRODUCTION
It was estimated that 80% of American consumers eat at
least one ethnic meal per month (28). The growing interest
of consumers and restaurant operators is a crucial driver for
the popularity of ethnic foods, such as Mexican and Chinese
(46). Consumer demand for ethnic foods has driven ethnic
restaurants of all types to flourish in the United States. However,
along with the increasing demand for ethnic food, foodborne
illnesses resulting from such foods have risen (45). Although
ethnic restaurants are not the sole source of foodborne illness
outbreaks, outbreaks are still problematic because of poor food
safety practices (20, 52). Previous research that used health
inspection data demonstrated that ethnic restaurants had more
violations than nonethnic restaurants and that chain restaurants
had fewer violations than independent restaurants (22, 26).
https://www.doi.org/10.4315/FPT-22-021
Food Protection Trends - January/February 2023

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