Zeitschrift für Lebensmittelverarbeitung und -technologie

Abstrakt

Consumer Perceptions on Sustainable Practices Implemented in Foodservice Organizations in Korea

Seyoung Ju, Hyeja Chang

Background/Objectives: Sustainable practices in foodservice organizations including commercial and noncommercial
ones are critical to ensure the protection of the environment for the future. With the rapid growth of the foodservice
industry, wiser usage of input sources such as food, utilities, and single use packaging should be reconsidered for
future generations. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the customer’s perceptions on sustainable practices and
to identify the relationship among sustainable practices, social contribution and purchase intention.
Subjects/Methods: The study was conducted using content analyses by reviewing articles on sustainable food service
practices published domestically and abroad. Thereafter, data were collected with a face-to-face survey using a
questionnaire and analyzed with factor analyses and multiple regressions.
Results: Sustainable practices classified with factor analysis consisted of 6 dimensions of green food material
procurement, sustainable food preparation, green packaging, preservation of energy, waste management, and public
relations on green activity, with a total of 25 green activities in foodservice operations. Consumers were not very
familiar with the green activities implemented in the foodservice unit, with the lowest awareness of “green food
material procurement (2.46 out of 5 points)”, and the highest awareness of “green packaging (3.74)” and “waste
management (3.28). The factors influencing the perception of social contribution by foodservice organizations
among 6 sustainable practice dimensions were found to be public relations on green activity (β = 0.154), waste
management (β = 0.204) and sustainable food preparation (β = 0.183). Green packaging (β = 0.107) and the social
contribution of the foodservice organization (β = 0.761) had strong relationships with the image of the organization.
The purchase intentions of customers was affected only by the foodservice image (β = 0.775).
Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that sustainable practices by foodservice organization present a good
image to customers and increase the awareness of valuable contributions that benefit the customer as well as the
community.