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The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting the adoption of food‐safety management systems by Thai food‐manufacturing firms.

The study employs a survey questionnaire using a sample of Thai food‐manufacturing firms. The three‐part questionnaire was mailed to managers performing food‐safety management activities in 480 firms. A total of 217 questionnaires were returned, with a response rate of 45.2 percent.

The results of hypothesis testing indicated that the adoption of a food safety management system can be significantly predicted by: expected gain of social legitimacy; expected gain of economic competitiveness; perceived importance of external stakeholders (government, community, food safety organizations, and media); top management commitment to food safety; firm size and amount of export sales. It can also be predicted by the extent to which firms exchange food safety knowledge with other stakeholders.

The results of the study suggest that the Government should formulate food safety policies in favour of educating senior managers in the potential benefits of food safety management systems for their firms. In addition it confirms the importance of Government information dissemination on the successful adoption of such systems and the need to focus Government resources on assisting smaller firms. The findings present evidence of the commercial benefits of system adoption.

The paper identifies statistically significant factors that can “predict” the uptake of food safety management systems within the Thai food industry.

Discusses the financial implications of maintaining acceptable levels of food safety. The case of BSE is used as an example ‐ loss of export market, fall in domestic sales, changes in consumption, large expenditure, cost of practice changes in rearing and slaughtering animals. There is a trade‐off between safety and costs. How much safety can be expected? There must be an optimum level of safety. There are few ways in which a market economy can “fail” in providing the optimum ‐ asymmetry in knowledge of risks; aspects of food safety which are public goods; social costs of food safety and the divergence between objective scientific evidence and consumer perception.

This paper aims to analyze the factors that influence urban consumers' attitudes towards food safety after the melamine scandal.

Based on the research about the attitudes of urban consumers in Nanjing towards the safety of milk powder after the melamine scandal in 2008, this paper adopts the ordered logit model to test which factors significantly influence consumers' attitudes.

The findings suggest that: first, there is a common concern among consumers about the safety of milk powder after the melamine scandal; second, according to the research, the concern is in inverse relation to the level of educational attainment, consumers' awareness of food safety incidents and their opinion of governments' action after the incident. Moreover, those who always have a concern about the safety of the alternatives to milk powder are more easily affected.

Different from other researches, the paper focuses on consumers' attitudes towards food safety by studying a specific case, namely the melamine scandal.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the socio‐demographic factors affecting food safety knowledge/practice and the effectiveness of food safety strategies of hawkers in an urban and less urban setting of Malaysia.

A total of 50 hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping were given a questionnaire and observed in their food safety practice (FSP). In‐depth interviews were performed on four hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping.

Of all hawker types, Muslim/Malay hawkers, hawkers with higher educational levels, hawkers in designated sites and hawkers in an urban setting scored the highest on food safety knowledge and/or practice. This study found inadequate distribution/impracticality of regulations/guidelines for hawkers, ambiguities with licensing procedures, weaknesses in training programmes and significant complaints of designated sites by hawkers.

Ethnicity, religion, education and type of premise are socio‐demographic factors that may affect food safety knowledge/practices of hawkers. An urban/less urban setting may also affect hawkers' food safety knowledge/practice. Ineffectiveness of food safety strategies of the Control Authority may exist and may vary across different regions of Malaysia. Thus, food safety strategies must be regulated/reinforced and adapted to hawkers' socio‐demographic status, to ensure the safety of hawker foods in Malaysia.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges for food inspectors when attempting to assess the food safety culture of a business. It is the eighth article in this issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, discussing the importance of measuring food safety and quality culture.

As part of a larger research project, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the current challenges faced by food inspectors in assessing food safety and the future prospects of measuring food safety culture in the UK food system.

Food inspectors face increasing challenges in their role of assessing not just the visible level of legal compliance but also potential risk within a food business; while aware of the importance of food safety culture, they are unsure how to formally assess it. The UK Food Standards Agency developed a toolkit to assist inspectors in assessing the food safety culture of a business; however, this has been found to be onerous and difficult to implement in practice.

This paper will be of value to practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders involved in the hospitality industry.

The purpose of this paper is to present the latest food safety initiatives for hospitality businesses in the Emirate of Dubai, UAE. It is the sixth paper in a themed issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes presenting international food safety management challenges and solutions.

The Dubai Municipality Food Control Department food safety initiatives are presented, with a wider discussion of their impact.

Research shows that many hospitality businesses are not adequately managing food safety despite basic training of employees, which has prompted a move towards management level training. Case study research also demonstrates that innovative “evolving methods” of HACCP can assist in improving food safety management in local hospitality businesses. The Dubai Municipality Food Control Department is, therefore, working on two important strategies: first, the mandatory training of “Persons in Charge” in all food businesses, and subsequently the wider implementation of food safety management systems.

The paper will be of value to practitioners, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders involved in the food industry.

This paper presents an insight into senior government strategy and motivations in Dubai.

The purpose of this paper is to examine key determinants (i.e. knowledge, perceived susceptibility, attitudes, confidence, behavioral intentions) associated with practicing health-protective behaviors that could inform development of programs and strategies for improving food handling behaviors of middle school youth.

Middle schoolers (n=1,102; 50 percent boys) completed a questionnaire with the following topics: demographics, food safety knowledge, usual food safety behaviors, perceived susceptibility to foodborne illness, attitude toward food safety, confidence (self-efficacy) in practicing safe food handling procedures, and intended safe food handling behaviors.

Middle schoolers had insufficient food safety knowledge ( _˜50 percent incorrect responses) even though most reported washing their hands before making a snack and washing fruits and vegetables before eating them. Spearman correlation analyses indicated that food safety knowledge and perceived susceptibility to foodborne illness was weakly correlated (r _s≤0.18) and in some instances not significantly correlated with actual behaviors, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions. Attitudes, behavioral intentions, and self-efficacy were key determinants that were significantly and highly correlated (r _s<0.70) with each other. Additionally, knowing when to wash hands was significantly correlated (r _s≤0.13) with actual handwashing behaviors, and attitudes, behavioral intentions, and self-efficacy whereas knowing how to wash hands was not.

Food safety interventions for youth should aim to increase knowledge, challenge perceptions of susceptibility to foodborne illness, and motivate adoption of new safe food handling behaviors, while supporting their already positive food safety attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions.

For nearly 150 years the study of food safety has been dominated by a microbiological approach, however, in many countries cases of foodborne disease are at record levels. The purpose of this paper is to review the history of food safety and present a model for studying food safety.

The history of food safety is reviewed. Data from outbreak investigations and observational studies of food handling are analysed

Whilst micro‐organisms are a major factor in foodborne disease and microbiology an important research discipline, in order to reduce the incidence of foodborne disease additional research approaches should be used. Such strategies should include food handler behaviour and its links with food safety organisational culture, and food safety management systems.

The findings highlight the limitations of the present approach and the need for additional data, using a wider range of research techniques

A novel model for studying food safety is presented, which has practical implications for reducing the economic and social burden of foodborne disease.

This study investigates public perceptions of food safety in the Czech Republic, particularly focusing on the role of disinformation and trust in regulatory frameworks.

The research, based on a nationwide survey of 2,729 respondents, explores how different information sources, including search engines, social networks and traditional media, influence trust in food safety. Quota sampling was used to ensure demographic representation.

Logistic regression analysis highlights that age, gender, education level and exposure to disinformation significantly affect perceptions of health risks from simplified food imports. Older individuals, women and those with lower education are more likely to view these imports as a health threat, while frequent internet users show less concern. The findings highlight the critical impact of misinformation and disinformation on public opinion, emphasizing the need for enhanced media literacy and targeted public health communication.

The country governments should ensure the consistency and quality of the food safety programmes and transparency in their communications to strengthen public confidence. Hence, a systematic investigation and review of the food safety systems and updating the regulatory frameworks are necessary in order to ensure higher quality and safety of food.

The research results represent a valuable platform for regulatory authorities as well as for the development of concepts of media and scientific literacy.

The study provides insights for policymakers on improving food safety communication in a post-communist context, contributing to broader discussions on combating misinformation in Europe.