Food service safety and hygiene factors: a longitudinal study on the Brazilian consumer perception.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to investigate the perceptions and attitudes of consumers toward food service safety and hygiene when purchasing ready-to-eat food. Data were collected at three time points: before (T0) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (T1 and T2). Among the 333 participants, 45.9% reported fear of contracting COVID-19 when purchasing off-site meals, and 78.4% for on-site meals in T1, compared to 21.0 and 52.0% in T2, respectively (p < 0.001). Hygiene and cleanliness of the establishment became less important for participants when selecting food services throughout the pandemic (T0: 42.6%; T1: 41.1%; T2: 0.0%; p < 0.01). Security protocols during off-site and on-site purchases were considered important by more participants in T1 (47.7 and 27.6%, respectively) t

SUBMITTER: de Carvalho NC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11560780 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature