Food Safety When Eating Out-Perspectives of Young Adult Consumers in Poland and Turkey-A Pilot Study.

Wojciech Kolanowski,Filiz Yildiz Akgul,Ayse Demet Karaman,Joanna Trafialek,Katarzyna Ługowska

doi:10.3390/ijerph18041884

Abstract

Food safety is perceived differently by consumers in different countries. The objective of this study was to examine the experience of young adults regarding the safety of meals eaten outside the home in Poland and Turkey. Questionnaire surveys were conducted on a group of 400 young adults. The findings provided new insights into cross-cultural consumer perceptions of the food safety of meals eaten out. Differences in the perception of the safety of the meals eaten out concerned both the manner in which consumers chose an eating establishment, the frequency with which they ate out, their experience of the meals consumed, and their practice of lodging complaints. Consumers in Poland and Turkey experienced different problems with the health quality of meals eaten out. The experience of consumers in Turkey reflected the occurrence of numerous cases of meals of poor quality, while in Poland it was smaller. This suggests that meals eaten out in Poland (an EU country) may have a lower health risk than in Turkey (a non-EU country). The method described in this study could be an additional tool for checking the operation of food safety systems in eating out establishments.

Highlights

Accepted: 11 February 2021Eating out is becoming more common, and currently represents a substantial portion of people’s diets and household spending on food [1,2,3]
Young adults from Poland and Turkey exhibit different eating out behaviors with respect to frequency
In a number of countries, governments or institutions do provide advice on how to choose more healthy diet options when eating out, they do not give any guidance on the food safety and quality aspects [23]

Summary

Introduction

Eating out is becoming more common, and currently represents a substantial portion of people’s diets and household spending on food [1,2,3]. Today’s consumption does not just mean the use of material goods and services in order to satisfy the felt needs but has become an indicator of the standard of living, a criterion of the structure of society, and a way in which individuals communicate their identity. These are especially important for young people who become adults and in general attach great importance to social contact with friends. In some countries, it does not constitute an important part of people’s everyday eating habits as it was reported in Scandinavian countries [6]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion