Abstract

Objectives
Consumer demand is growing for more rigorous hygiene management within foodservice establishments. The aim of this study was to provide customized data specific to each foodservice establishment, thereby informing policy formulation to improve hygiene management levels.
Methods
We surveyed 310 managers of directly managed foodservice establishments (excluding franchises) that were subject to hygiene inspections by the Chungbuk Provincial Office in Korea between September 1 and 27, 2023. Additionally, 30 investigators trained in methods for evaluating the hygiene management levels of foodservice establishments objectively assessed 310 establishments using evaluation sheets. All 310 managers provided consent and personally completed the questionnaires. General characteristics were analyzed with descriptive statistics in BM SPSS Statistics 28 (IBM Corp.). Univariate normality verification, measurement model verification, structural model verification, and mediation effect significance analysis were conducted using R’s lavaan package (version 4.3.2.).
Results
Managers’ willingness to perform duties had a positive influence on hygiene management level (0.224), enthusiasm for hygiene (0.661), awareness of hygiene compliance (0.616), mandatory perception of the system (0.568), trust in local governments (0.406), and attention to consumers (0.558). In the relationship between managers’ willingness to perform duties and hygiene management level, mandatory perception of the system had a negative mediating effect (0.223), while trust in local governments had a positive mediating effect (0.264).
Conclusion
Structural equation modeling was used to identify the complex pathways by which foodservice establishment managers’ willingness to perform duties, mediated by their human factors, influences their hygiene management level. Accordingly, policy implications were presented, suggesting that the hygiene management level of foodservice establishments could be enhanced by increasing managers’ willingness to perform their duties, and that a shift from mandatory regulations by local governments to support-oriented systems that foster trust in local governments is necessary.

• Keywords: foodservice; willingness to perform duties; trust in local governments; hygiene management levels; mediating effects