Building a Theoretical Model of Consumer Trust in Food Safety Institutions and Its Effect on Food Safety Compliance Behaviour in Nigeria

Consumer trust in food safety institutions including NAFDAC, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, and local government health departments is a critical determinant of how effectively regulatory frameworks translate into safe food behaviour among producers, vendors, and consumers. Yet consumer trust in Nigerian food safety institutions has not been theorised or empirically modelled. This study built and tested a theoretical model of consumer trust in food safety institutions and examined its effect on food safety compliance behaviour in Nigeria. Drawing on institutional trust theory, legitimacy theory, and behavioural economics, a conceptual trust model was developed specifying dimensions of competence trust, benevolence trust, and integrity trust, and their pathways to compliance intentions and actual food safety behaviour. The model was tested through a multi-phase mixed-methods design: qualitative model refinement through 30 in-depth consumer and food business owner interviews, quantitative scale development and validation with 350 participants across Lagos, Abuja, and Kano, and a confirmatory survey of 600 participants across all six geopolitical zones. Structural equation modelling with partial least squares was used for model estimation. Results showed that institutional integrity trust was the strongest predictor of food safety compliance intention, followed by competence trust. Experience of food safety information provided by NAFDAC was the strongest driver of trust formation. Media exposure to food safety scandals was the most powerful trust-eroding factor. The model was validated across gender and geographic subgroups. The study provides the first theoretically grounded, empirically validated trust model for food safety institutions in the Nigerian context. Keywords: consumer trust, food safety institutions, NAFDAC, compliance behaviour, institutional trust theory