Defining economic obstacles to the adoption of food safety systems in table olive processing firms

Purpose - The concept of food safety systems is increasing worldwide among farmers, manufactures, and processors and is also affecting consumer perspectives. This trend primarily impacts food businesses and table olive processing firms. The study seeks to explore the major economic obstacles to the adoption of food safety systems in table olive processing firms. Design/methodology/approach - All 59 table olive businesses in the Aydin Province of Turkey were included in the survey. In an effort to remove extraneous items and demonstrate internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha was calculated for each variable. To better specify the economic obstacles to food safety system implementation, data were examined with exploratory factor analysis using principal component extraction and varimax rotation. Findings - Major economic obstacles that most prominently emerged from analyses may explain several key indicators including difficulties in employing well-trained personnel required for food safety systems, insufficient training facilities for employees intended to aid in the implementation of food safety systems, deficiency of infrastructure and other physical conditions, and deficient financial support from government and non-government organizations. Research limitations/implications - The study investigated only table olive processors. Future research should include analyses of consumer behaviors. Practical implications - The Turkish government must ensure implementation of food safety systems to increase public knowledge and accelerate government funds for the establishment of such systems in the food business industry. Originality/value - The study contributes to the positive perceptions of managers and their behaviors towards implementation of food safety systems in table olive processing firms. Since the paper is one of only a few dealing with this topic, it provides key clues for dissemination of food safety systems adoption at the firm level.