Food Safety Practices of Food Establishment

Located in STI West Negros University

(A Research paper)

Presented to the Faculty of

College of Hospitality and Tourism Management
STI West Negros University
Bacolod City

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Course Requirement for the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management

By:

Christian F. Arroyo
Hernan B. Paguntalan
Airene V. Salcedo
Regine C. Tañedo

2022
 Chapter 1
Introduction

Food is essential, and safety should be a top priority. Safe food is important for public
health, socio-economic stability and global commerce. Food safety education is a very important
aspect of the overall food safety initiative (Whittaker, Boateng & Hargrave, 2017).
According to Rustia, Tan, Guiriba, Magtibay, Bondoc, Mariano, Bernadette, Caincol,
Bautista, Bulagao, De Guzman, Musni, Salem, Villanueva, (2021) food safety is a fundamental
public health concern that is dependent on various factors such as changing global food
production patterns, public expectations, and international trade policies.
In addition, when people have access to safe food, their health improves. Food safety
enhances health and productivity while also providing a firm platform for development and
poverty reduction (Van Veen, 2005). Food safety is defined as the conditions and measures that
must be in place during the production, processing, storage, distribution, and preparation of food
to ensure that it is safe, sound, wholesome, and fit for human consumption (Fung, Wang,
&Menon, 2018).
Moreover, Almanza & Nesmith, (2004) food handlers in the foodservice industry
demonstrate sufficient food safety knowledge and practice validated food handling procedures
by completing a recognized certification training program (Bilska, Tomaszewska & Kołożyn-
Krajewska, 2022).
Furthermore, retail food establishment where food are prepared and served to the public
(Perez & Manzano, 2017). Food service outlets offering a permanent menu (restaurants) are less
able to make the menu more flexible. However, also in this type of food service outlet, measures
are taken to make better use of ingredients and supplies, specific menu items are recommended
to guests by the restaurant staff (Bilska, Tomaszewska & Kołożyn-Krajewska, 2022).
Apart from this, the definition of “preparation from scratch” generally suggest cooking
with raw, fresh or minimally processed foods and without the use of ultra-processed foods for
which consumption is known to be associated with lower nutritional quality and higher risks of
obesity and chronic diseases (Monteiro, Cannon, Moubarac, Levy, Louzada, & Jaime, 2018).
Similarly, food preparation behaviors were captured by several dimensions: cooking
frequency, daily time spent on food preparation, preparation from scratch, cooking skills,
cooking enjoyment, willingness to cook better or more frequently, and kitchen equipment
(Méjean, Lampuré, Hassen, Gojard, Péneau Hercberg & Castetbon, 2018).
On the other hand, food preparation shares principles but focuses on the process of
putting basic ingredients together to make one food for a meal (Brown, 2014).
Nevertheless, Brown, 2014; Larson, Perry, Story, & Neumark-Sztainer, (2006) the
distinction between meal preparation and food preparation is very vague, and sometimes not
easily recognizable. In the research literature, meal preparation is characterized as people’s
interaction with food and their ability to select and assemble foods into a complete meal, as
demonstrated by My-plate (Mcdonald, Mcintosh & Kreider, 2017)
Besides, proper cleaning of equipment reduces the risk of cross-contamination (Elobeid,
Savvaidis & Ganji, 2019). The washing of hands, utensils and dishes is often done in buckets or
bowls in such disinfection are not carried out (Nwakanma, 2017).
Consequently, washed utensils shall be allowed to drain dry in wire racks without use of
drying cloths or shall be stored in a self-draining position to permit ready air- drying. The drying
cloth on which to store dishes and utensils temporarily after bactericidal treatment should be
clean and changed frequently (Perez & Manzano, 2017).
Aligned to this, Hoof, McDonald, Yu & Vallen, (1996) mentioned that each food items
have storage standards. They also stated that storage is designed to keep the quality of the
product while reducing losses due to pilferage, theft, and spoilage (Adel, 2017).
Additionally, food is to be kept in clean and containers are to be sturdier to prevent pest
and rodent infestation. It should be kept food away from the walls and off the floor. Finally, keep
the shelving and floor clean. Dry Storage Practices: dry foods should be stored in a well-
ventilated room (Adel, 2017).
The researcher has chosen this study to assess the food safety practices that the food
establishment imposed when they are preparing, serving and storing the food which they offered
to their customers in a daily basis. After the researchers determine the results of this study, the
researchers will give their proposed action plan to improve the food safety practices of the food
establishment involve in the study. The researchers will also give their personal
recommendations to the food establishment staff and owner according to the result which can be
helpful to upgrade their existing process.
Statement of the problem
The study sought to answer the following:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of age, sex, length of operations, types of
ownership, educational attainment, and types of food establishment?
2. What is the level of food safety practices of food establishment when they are grouped
according to food preparation, serving of food, dishwashing of utensils and equipment, storing of
utensils and equipment and displaying of food at the container in terms of age, sex, length of
operations, types of ownership, educational attainment, and types of food establishment.
3. Is there a significant difference in the food safety practices of food establishment when they
are grouped according to variables in terms of age, sex, length of operations, types of ownership,
educational attainment, and types of food establishment?

Hypothesis
Based on the statement of the problem hypothesis is formulated:
1. There is no significant difference in the food safety practices of food establishment when they
are grouped according to variables in terms of age, sex, length of operations, types of ownership,
educational attainment, and types of food establishment.
 Food Safety Practices
Demographic Profile Dimension
 Age 1. Food preparation Food establishment
 Sex 2. Serving of food staff

 Length of operations 3. Dishwashing of utensils High-Low Scale

 Types of ownership and equipment 4 – Ver High

4. Storing of utensils and 3 – High

 Educational
equipment 2 – Low
attainment
5. Displaying of food at the 1 – Very Low
 Type of food
establishment container

Proposed Action Plan to improve the Food

Safety Practices of Food Establishment

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the study

Theoretical Framework
According to Husain, Wan Muda, Noor Jamil, Nik Hanafi, and Abdul Rahman, (2016)
research has revealed that providing food safety training based on the theory of planned behavior
can significantly improve food safety behaviors (Roberts, Kevin R. Sauer, K., Paez, P. Alcorn,
M., 2020).
The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to understand individuals’ behavior
change intention of food safety practices. All the TPB constructs’ scores, including attitudes
toward the behavior, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and behavior change
intentions, were improved significantly; however, only the subjective norms and perceived
behavioral control were significantly correlated with the behavior change intentions mend
(Archila-Godínez, Juan, Chen, H., Klinestiver, Rosa, Barrett, Henley & Feng, 2022).
In the study of Ajzen, I., (1999), when evaluating food safety educational programs for
food handlers in low-income families, it is critical to measure behavior change and contributing
factors to such behavior change. Theories of behavior change, such as the theory of planned
behavior (TPB), help understand behaviors among a target population. The TPB postulates that
attitudes toward a behavior, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and subjective norms can drive
behavior change intentions.
Moreover, challenges in food safety are present throughout the food supply chain and it
remains a growing concern globally. Several factors contribute to the increased exposure of
populations to more food hazards including but not limited to freer trade and globalization of
food products (King, Cole, Farbe, Eisenbrand, Zabaras, Fox & Hill, 2017).
As cited in the study of Mwamakamba, (2012) entitled “The WHO five keys to safer
food: a tool for food safety health promotion”, protocols in the preparation, handling and storage
of food may vary depending on the food prepared and the establishment in which it is served, the
World Health Organization (WHO) advises "five keys to food safety" to prevent foodborne
infections. These five simple keys to safe and healthy food are: keep clean, separate raw and
cooked foods, cook thoroughly, keep food at safe temperatures, and use safe water and raw
materials (Tamene, Habte, Woldeyohannes, Afework, Endale, Gizachew, Sulamo, Tesfaye,
Tagesse, 2022).
In accordance with Jaiswal P. K., (2009) food safety means assurance that food is
acceptable for human consumption according to its intended use and Food Safety Management
System means the adoption of Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Hygienic Practices, Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Point and such other practices as may be specified by regulation,
for the food business.
Hence, Lucca, Elizabeth and Torres, (2006) food establishments is what people most
probably seek the place not only to satisfy hunger but a place to socialize (Ismail, F., Chik, C.,
Muhammad, R., Yusoff, N., 2016).
Furthermore, food preparation practices are complex and demanding but they play a
crucial role in health outcomes (McDonald, Dawkins-Moultin,& McWhinney, 2020).
Aside from this, Mcdonald, Mcintosh & Kreider, (2017) food preparation is planned,
organized, cooked and served in large quantities. It includes utilizing ingredients, transforming
raw foods into edible products and using a wide range of food preparation techniques like
peeling, mixing, boiling and stirring.
Nevertheless, Business Integrated Standards Executive (2012) defined storage as
keeping all potentially hazardous foods and ingredients under temperature control until use or
displays them. In addition, food must be covered, and the cool room temperature should be
checked and recorded periodically to ensure they are running at 5°C or below (Adel, 2017).
In figure 1. Schematic diagram is based on the Input, Process, Output, Outcome model.
The first part of the model is the profile of respondents which includes the age, sex, length of
operations, types of ownership, educational attainment, type of food establishment. The second
part of the model is the process which is the aspect of the food establishment such as food
preparation, serving of food, dining of food, dishwashing of utensils and equipment, storing of
utensils and equipment and displaying of food at the container. The action plan is the output-
outcome s that serves to address the data gathered from the respondents in order to make
awareness and improve every aspect of food establishment involve in this study.

Significant of the Study

This study is beneficial to the following:
Food establishment staff. The findings of this study may enable them to be aware in
preparing and serving the food properly. This might help them to update their knowledge and
ways to prepare and cook the food.
Food establishment owner. The results of this endeavor might help them assess their
existing operations and produce proper food safety standards. This can also allow them to
improve the food safety guidelines of their establishment in order to produce safe food.
Researcher. The outcome of this endeavor may help them find reliable data and
information to achieve their goal in evaluating the food safety practices of the food
establishment.
Future researcher. This work might serve as a reference and a guide to them if they
conduct similar of this study.

Scope and Limitation

The scope of the study is to assess and evaluate food safety practices and training plans of
staff and owners of establishments located near in STI West Negros University. The study aims
to propose improvements to the owner that might help them with the problems of food safety
practices and training plans of the establishments. However, it is up to the owner to decide
whether the proposed improvements and changes should be implemented or not. It is the owner’s
right to choose whether to allow researchers to demonstrate and test such food safety practices
and training plans at the establishment. This study conducted 168 respondents which are the food
establishment staff and owners of the establishment who have the experience of preparing such
food to serve to their customers.

Definition of terms
Food preparation. Conceptually, Vidgen & Gallegos, (2014) defined food preparation
as an individual's ability to plan, manage, and prepare tasty foods with limited directions
(McDonald, Dawkins-Moultin,& McWhinney, 2020).
Operationally, it is referred to the way that the staff prepares the food they serve to their
customer.
Food safety practices. Conceptually, be defined when all measures taken so that food is
consumed in the usual manner do not cause harms to human health and wellbeing (Oumer,
2019).
Operationally, it is referred to the ways that the staff and owner of food establishment
follows when preparing and producing safe food.
Food Establishment. Conceptually, foodservice establishments include places involved
in education, travel and leisure, healthcare, vending, business and industry, retailers, and many
more (Friddle, C., Mangaraj, S., Kinsey, J., D., 2020).
Operationally, it means the establishment that serves food such as carenderias, café, resto,
bar, sizzlers and bakeshop around STI West Negros University.

Utensils and Equipment. Conceptually, Vanderzant and Splittstoesser, (1992) defined

utensils as spoon, fork, plates and other cutlery tools used in dining. Howard, (2004) defined
kitchen equipment as to walk-in coolers and freezers, cooling appliances, cooking appliances,
tables, sinks, shelving, food processing and preparation equipment, hoods and related
components, materials

Operationally, it is the materials used to store, serve, prepare and cook the food.
Storage. Conceptually, Robinson (2012) defined food Storage as foods which should be
protected from time and temperature abuse according to the available storage space. (Adel,
2017).
 Operationally, it is referred to the containers which food is stored and cabinets which
utensils and equipment should be kept.

Chapter II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
Related Local Studies
Hospitality industry is one of the leading industries that provides comfortability to the
tourists and allowing them to have a meaningful experience with the quality food service and
ensuring food safety and security (Mae Borbon & Tolentino, 2020).
According to the study of Perez & Manzano, (2017), entitles “Food Safety and Sanitary
Practices of Selected Hotels in Batangas Province, Philippines: Basis of Proposed Enhancement
Measures” The hotel demonstrated the safety and sanitary practices in the areas of restaurant
service, bar service, catering and banquet and room service. The study showed that there were
eight (8) hotel respondents classified as two, three, four stars with considerable years of
experience and adequate number of employees. The hotels demonstrated the food safety
and sanitary practices always in the areas of restaurant, bar service, catering and banquet and
room service.
Based on the study of Argente, Gordoncillo, Africa, & Dizon, (2020) which entitled
“Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Food Safety and Compliance to
Microbiological Safety Guidelines” results showed that most street food vending sites were
located in areas with no running water supply and handwashing facilities. Moreover, although
trash bins were available, waste segregation was not practiced. Vendors had an average level of
food safety knowledge and good attitude towards food safety, although these did not translate
into practice.
Through the study of Pascual, Olobia, Ludevese, Neuville, Neuville, F. & Lucrese
(2019), entitled “Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAPs) on Food Safety Among Food
Handlers in School Canteens in Eastern Visayas, Philippines” the study was conducted to
evaluate the levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) on food safety among food
handlers in different high school canteens in Eastern Visayas, Philippines. Overall, findings
revealed that adequate knowledge on food safety will not necessarily translate into positive
attitudes and good practices on food safety. Thus, continuous food safety education and
subsequent monitoring and evaluation are a must.
The study entitles “Food safety knowledge and practices of street food vendors in a
Philippines university campus”, found that among the 54 street food vendors surveyed,
knowledge on food safety concepts was established particularly on topics that dealt with health
and personal hygiene, food contamination and good manufacturing procedures. However,
vendors were shown to be not too knowledgeable in terms of food legislation and waste
management (Azanza, Gatchalian, & Ortega, 2017).
Besides, in the study of Limon, (2021) which entitled “Food safety practices of food
handlers at home engaged in online food businesses during COVID-19 pandemic in the
Philippines” This study revealed that the self-reported food safety practices of the food handlers
at home engaged in online businesses in terms of personal hygiene, cross contamination
prevention and sanitation, food preparation, and food delivery violate national and international
food safety standards. The findings of this study recommend that researchers, educators, food
safety communicators, and the media should invest their efforts and energies towards the
conceptualization and creation of programs that educate online food sellers about food safety
practices and allow them to translate their learning to real-life contexts.
Furthermore, Moscare-Balanquit & Dolon-Sanoria (2021) study entitled “Safe Food
Preparation Practices of Food Establishments in Catarman, Northern Samar, Philippines” the
participants have shown a relatively acceptable knowledge on safe food preparation practices;
however, unsafe food preparation practices were also reported. Result shows that food
establishment should come up with standard procedures in food preparation and provide tools
and equipment to facilitate observance of safe food preparation practices. Serious training should
be conducted to increase the technical know-how of food workers and develop the correct mind-
set on the importance of preparing safe food.

Related Foreign Studies

As cited by Elobeid, Savvaidis & Ganji, (2019) to a study entitles “Impact of food safety
training on the knowledge, practice, and attitudes of food handlers working in fast-food
restaurants” study showed that fast food handlers in the Qatar University food service operations
had a good level of knowledge and were aware of the attitudes and practices related to safe food
handling. However, the knowledge of fast-food handlers was still lacking in the areas of cross-
contamination, the presence of potential foodborne microorganisms in foods, thawing of frozen
foods, holding temperature of foods and the danger zone, all of which could pose potential risks
or cause infections in consumers.
In the study of Ma, Chen,Yan, Wu, & Zhang,(2019) entitled “Food safety knowledge,
attitudes, and behavior of street food vendors and consumers in Handan, a third tier city in
China” the results of the study showed that street food suppliers have generally poor food
handling practices, and most are operating under unsanitary conditions. Food safety knowledge
of street vendors in the High-tech Industries Development Zone was the lowest, most likely
because these regions are in rural-urban fringe zones, where education levels are generally
relatively low.
Furthermore, “Food safety practice and associated factors in public food establishments
of Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis” this review identified that improvements are
needed in food handling training, government regulation, and infrastructure. Standard regulations
for food service enterprises must be implemented on a local and national level. Though long-
term food safety requires legislation and training, failure to address infrastructure challenges can
harm public health efforts. Access to safe drinking water and the presence of sanitary waste
management systems should all be part of the basic infrastructure for ensuring the safety of food
in food businesses.
Moreover, Mills, White, Wrieden, Brown, Stead & Adams, (2017) their study entitles
“Home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions: A qualitative interview study
with photo-elicitation” result shows that home food preparation behavior was often a balance
between varied competing influences and demands in life. Most people appeared to be overall
content with their food preparation behavior, though ideally aspired to cook more frequently,
using basic ingredients. Overall, people were largely content with their cooking compromises;
however, many expressed an aspiration under ideal conditions to cook at home more often, using
basic ingredients.

Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

Design 
 To evaluate the food safety practices of the food establishment, the study

used Descriptive-Quantitative research design. Aliaga and Gunderson (2000), describes

quantitative study as a research approach explaining a phenomenon by collecting numerical data

that are analyzed using statistical approaches. The purpose of a descriptive study is to provide a

picture of a situation, person or event or show how things are related to each other and as it

naturally occurs (Blumberg, Cooper and Schindler, 2005). Descriptive research is the research

design in which data is collected in a qualitative manner and analyzed using quantitative

procedures (Nassaji, 2015). Descriptive research refers to the scientific methodology in

which observation of the sampled population is carried out in its natural surroundings (Boru,

2018).

Locale 

The study was conducted at the food establishment located near STI West Negros

University.

Respondents 

The researcher’s study has a wider scope that consists of 168 respondents of the local

staff and owner of every food establishment that having the legal age of 18 and above. The

respondents of the study were unidentified; therefore, the sampling technique used was the

Simple random sampling. According to (Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2005) simple random sample

means that every case of the population has an equal probability of inclusion in sample. In

addition, simple random sample is a randomly selected subset of a population. In this sampling

method, each member of the population has an exactly equal chance of being selected

(Taherdoost, 2017).

Instruments 
 The researchers conducted the study with the used of modified survey questionnaire to

gather all the data needed to answer the statement of the problem of this study. The questionnaire

consists of five dimensions and seven question each dimension.

The questionnaire was designed in 2 (two) parts, as follows: 

Part I respondent’s profile such as age, sex, years of business, type of business and

Part II is for the survey questionnaire where respondents will rate the following statement

about the food establishments food preparation, serving of food, dishwashing of utensils and

equipment, storing of utensils and equipment and displaying of food at the container.

The researcher uses the Likert Scale where 4-point response in evaluating the food safety

practices of the food establishment.

Range          Verbal Interpretation

4                   Very High
3                  High
2                   Low
1                   Very Low

Validity

According to (Anastasi and Urbina, 1997) Validity is concerned with whether the

measuring instrument measures the behaviour or quality that it is intended to measure and is a

measure of how well the measuring instrument performs its function (Sürücü, 2020).

The survey questionnaire was subjected to validity using the Carter V. Good and Douglas

B. Scates. The content validity was rated by jury of experts composed of 5 members from

Hospitality and Tourism Industry (with Doctorate and Master’s degree).

 Good & Scates (1972) set forth eight (8) criteria for validation of research instruments by

experts are as follows: 1) is the question on the subject, 2) is the question perfectly clear and

unambiguous, 3) does the question get at something stable something relatively deep-seated,

well-considered, non-superficial, and not ephemeral, but something which is typical of the

individual or the situation, 4) does the question pull, 5) do the responses show a reasonable range

of variation, 6) is the information obtained consistent, 7) is the item sufficiently inclusive, and 8)

is there a possibility of using an external criterion to evaluate the questionnaire (Michael,

Oducado, & Measures2020).

Mean Score Interpretation

4.01 – 5.00 Excellent
3.25 – 4.00 Very Good
2.50 – 3.24 Good
1.75 – 2.49 Fair
1.00 – 1.74 Poor

The results obtained a total score of 4.50 interpreted as Excellent. 

Reliability  

Reliability is pertinent of an instrument to estimate consistently. Mathematically,

reliability interpreted as the ratio of the real score of variance to the total score of variance.

Reliability is also described as an essential fountain of evidence when establishing the validity of

the inferences one predicate on scores from measures and tests (Amirrudin & Nasution, 2021).

To establish the reliability of the questionnaire, the researchers run a test to 40 customers

who dine-in at different fast-food chains restaurant in Bacolod downtown area. Alpha Cronbach

has been used in this study to achieve the reliability test.

Alpha was developed by Lee Cronbach in 1951 to provide a measure of the internal

consistency of a test or scale; it is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. Internal consistency

describes the extent to which all the items in a test measure the same concept or construct and

hence it is connected to the inter-relatedness of the items within the test. In addition, reliability

estimates show the amount of measurement error in a test. Put simply, this interpretation of

reliability is the correlation of test with itself. Squaring this correlation and subtracting from 1.00

produces the index of measurement error. A maximum alpha value of 0.90 has been

recommended (Tavakol & Dennick, 2018).

In addition, Cronbach’s alpha is also known as a measure of internal consistency used in

the context of multi-item measurement instruments and has wider application than it was early in

its development (Amirrudin & Nasution, 2021).

The results obtained a score of .861 of Cronbach’s Alpha which is the researcher can

proceed in conducting survey questionnaire.

Data Gathering Procedure 

Upon the validity and reliability of the research instrument were attained, the researcher

provided 400 number of copies which are sufficient to accommodate all respondents needed in

this study. The letter of approval among the ten fast-food chains restaurant at SM City Bacolod

are delivered by the researchers personally but due to Covid19 protocols only five fast-food

chains had allowed the researcher to conduct the study. During the conducting of study, the

researchers assist the respondents by explaining the detailed instructions and asked to answer

honestly to accomplish the survey questionnaire. The results of the retrieved copies of

questionnaire were organized, tallied, and subjected to statistical treatment. 

Ethical Consideration 

During the conducting of study, different ethical consideration is considered. The

researchers secure a letter of approval among the ten fast-food chains in SM City Bacolod which
only five fast-food chains approved the letter. The researcher administered the survey

questionnaire personally to all respondents of the study. The respondents are all in legal age and

they have been asked to fill a particular consent form that includes information regarding the

purpose of the study. 

As the matter of course requirement of being a Hospitality Management major, the

researcher conducted a research entitled “Customer dining influence at fast-food chains

restaurant”. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of customer influence when

choosing a fast-food restaurant to dine in. In order to attain the objectives of the study, relevant

data shall gathered using a survey questionnaire to be conducted among 400 respondents aged 18

years old and above. The researcher pleased to inform the respondents, that they are selected to

be one of the participants of this study.

However their participation in this study is voluntary. It is up to the respondents to decide

whether or not to take part in this study. If the respondents decide to take part in this study they

are asked to sign consent as provided in the questionnaire. After the signing, they are still free to

withdraw at any time and without giving reason. Withdrawing from this study before data

collection is completed; the data are returned to the respondents or destroyed. The respondents

are free to ask question/s or clarify matter/s with the researchers concerning part of the entire

content of the survey questionnaire. The researcher rest assured that the respondents names are

kept anonymous and any information they extended by answering the survey questionnaire are

treated with utmost confidentiality expected that the study are presented to a panel of evaluators

for approval and grading.

Statistical Treatment
 After gathering the data, it was tallied and encoded and subjected to a statistical analysis.

The staff responded to the questionnaires that were statistically examined to meet the required

data in this study.