Consumer Awareness and Perception of Food Safety Regarding Nitrate Content in Sugbusog Leafy Vegetables
Keywords:
Consumer Awareness, Consumer Perception, Food Safety, Nitrate Content, Sugbusog Leafy Vegetables, Safe Handling, Nitrate Monitoring, Food Safety Education ProgramAbstract
This study assessed consumer awareness and perception of food safety related to nitrate content in Sugbusog leafy vegetables and served as the basis for a Food Safety Education Program. The study involved 80 respondents and examined their demographic profile, level of awareness regarding nitrate sources, health hazards, and safe handling and preparation methods, as well as their perception of vegetable safety, nitrate-related health risks, and institutional monitoring. The study also determined the relationships between demographic characteristics, consumer awareness, and consumer perception. Findings showed that the respondents were predominantly young adults, female, Junior High School graduates under the K–12 curriculum, and students. The respondents demonstrated an overall favorable level of awareness, with weighted means of 3.550 for nitrate source knowledge, 3.530 for knowledge of health hazards, and 3.581 for safe handling and preparation, all interpreted as Aware. Their perception was likewise positive, with weighted means of 3.8286 for vegetable safety, 3.8325 for perceived health risks, and 3.8153 for confidence in monitoring and institutional oversight. Gender and employment status were significantly related to selected dimensions and overall awareness, whereas age and educational attainment were not. No demographic characteristic was significantly related to overall perception. Moreover, all dimensions of awareness had significant positive relationships with all dimensions of perception. Overall awareness was significantly associated with overall perception (r = .623, p = .000), while safe handling and preparation knowledge showed the strongest relationship with overall perception (r = .632, p = .000). Based on these findings, a four-month Food Safety Education Program was proposed to strengthen consumer knowledge, safe practices, reliable information access, stakeholder collaboration, and nitrate monitoring.
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