The role of food handlers’ religious and organizational commitment in food  hygiene practices: A structural modeling approach

Al Bayari, Jehad; Taha, Sadi; Suliman, Abubakr; M. Osaili, Tareq

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The role of food handlers’ religious and organizational commitment in food hygiene practices: A structural modeling approach

Date

2023-03-15

Authors

Publisher

ScienceDirect

Abstract

Recent studies on food safety focused on the softer aspects of risk management, such as organizational culture and factors that can predict hygiene practices. However, relationships between knowledge, attitude, and reli gious commitment and organizational commitment and practices can be multifaceted. Religious people may show adherence and commitment to organizational standards and values because they are likely to engage in behaviors that are considered moral or ethical in their religious context. We assessed food safety-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among food handlers from food enterprises in Dubai, United Arab Emir ates and evaluated their religious and organizational commitment. We also clarified the influence of knowledge/ attitudes and religious commitment on food hygiene practices, using organizational commitment as a mediating variable. This study used a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 404 Muslim food handlers using a reliable and validated questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Twelve hypotheses were proposed and tested using structural equation modeling. Participating food handlers had good food safety knowledge (73.00%), attitudes (72.00%), and organizational commitment (75.00%) and moderate religious commitment (69.00%) and food hygiene practices (67.00%). Knowledge, attitudes, and religious commitment positively influenced food handlers’ commitment (continuance and normative) toward their organization (p˂0.05), which in turn influenced their food hygiene practices. Food handlers’ religious commitment positively and directly influenced their food hygiene practices (p˂0.05). The relationship between knowledge and food hygiene practices was fully mediated by food handlers’ commitment (affective, continuance, and normative). Furthermore, the relationships between food hygiene practices and both attitudes and religious commitment were partly mediated by food handlers’ commitment (affective, continuance, and normative). Religious and organizational commitment may assist food enterprises in directing employees’ attitudes toward good food hygiene practices.

Keywords

Food safety Religious commitment Structural equation modeling (SEM) Mediation Hygiene Knowledge

Citation

Al Bayari, J. et al. (2023) “The role of food handlers’ religious and organizational commitment in food hygiene practices: A structural modeling approach,” Food Control, 150.