Abstract
This research examined the impact of the food hygiene perception of street food customers on their purchase intentions and its mechanism driven by their trust and perceived risk under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional data collected from 571 street food customers in Bangkok were computed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed a significant positive and direct influence of perceived food hygiene on customer purchase intentions (β=0.211; p<0.001). It also drove customer trust (β=0.726; p<0.001) and reduced perceived risk (β=-0.215; p<0.001). Customer trust was found to have a positive impact on purchase intentions (β=0.366; p<0.001), while perceived risk was negatively associated with purchase intentions (β=-0.264; p<0.001). In addition, the results confirmed a negative impact of customer trust on perceived risk (β=-0.371; p<0.001). Therefore, Sobel’s test results demonstrated partial positive moderations of customer trust (t= 8.211; p<0.001) and perceived risk (t= 4.066; p<0.001) between perceived food hygiene and purchase intentions. Finally, perceived was also found to partially and positively mediate between customer trust and purchase intentions (t= 5.289; p<0.001). This study provided novel and additional knowledge and evidence in the literature. It can also be applied as a guideline for street food operators and relevant governmental agents to raise the standard of street food sustainably under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic.