The Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Malaysian Food Truck Vendors during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

Foodborne diseases are one of the greatest public health threats, but they can be prevented by maintaining food safety practices. Although the food safety literature has been awash with studies from various food operations, there is very limited information on food safety in the food truck business. Therefore, this study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices related to food safety among food truck vendors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 396 Malaysian food truck vendors using convenience sampling. Data was collected during the Recovery Movement Control Order due to the COVID-19 pandemic through a validated self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 25. The findings indicated that food truck vendors generally have fair knowledge (M = 78.8, SD = 9.09), a positive attitude (M = 94.8, SD = 5.95), and good practices (M = 84.7, SD = 6.62) regarding food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression analysis further showed that food truck vendors’ level of education and knowledge of food safety are significant predictors of their food safety practices. This study provides an initial understanding of the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices among food truck vendors and yields important information in promoting the food safety culture.