Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Restaurant Food Safety

Trends in Hygiene and Sanitation Related Violations

Abstract

Restaurants and other food service establishments are of major concern to public health as they can be sources of illnesses and disease outbreaks. Many of the measures that were put forth by public health to reduce COVID-19 transmission, would also have been beneficial to the overall food safety of restaurants. On the contrary, psychological stress, staff shortages and revenue losses may have had a negative impact on food safety practices in restaurants. This study aims to determine if the COVID-19 pandemic had a measurable impact on post-pandemic food safety in restaurants.