Food safety management during the production process is of particular importance, as controlling and reducing contamination in later stages of the value chain is more difficult and costly. This survey-based study aimed to analyze the perception, attitude, and behavior of vegetable farmers in the Central District of Sanandaj County regarding on-farm food safety management. A total of 260 vegetable farmers were selected using stratified random sampling and surveyed through a questionnaire. Results indicated that although farmers had relatively positive perception and attitude toward the importance of on-farm food safety management, their actual behavior was not satisfactory. Structural equation modeling showed that attitude, use of communication channels, and perceived barriers had direct effects on behavior toward food safety management during production. Additionally, attitude, social norms, perception, communication channel use, and perceived barriers moderated the effect on behavior. These variables explained approximately 53% of the variance in behavior regarding on-farm food safety management. The study identified weak infrastructure, high input costs, lack of government support, high production risks, absence of insurance services for safe food production, and low market demand as key reasons for the gap between attitude and behavior in food safety management during production.