Halal food credence: do the Malaysian non-Muslim consumers hesitate?

• Published in: Journal of Islamic marketing Vol. 12; no. 8; pp. 1405 - 1424
• Main Authors: Wibowo, Mas Wahyu, Permana, Dudi, Hanafiah, Ali, Ahmad, Fauziah Sh, Ting, Hiram
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bingley Emerald Publishing Limited 02.11.2021; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Certification; Consumer behavior; Consumption; Decision making; Economic growth; Ecosystems; Food products; Halal food; ISO standards; Logos; Muslims; Perceptions; Principles; Purchase intention; Theory of planned behavior; Malaysia; non-Muslim consumers; Malaysia; SmartPLS; Food credence attributes; TPB; Halal food
• ISSN: 1759-0833; 1759-0841
• DOI: 10.1108/JIMA-01-2020-0013

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the variable of halal food knowledge (HFK) into the theory of planned behavior framework to investigate Malaysian non-Muslim consumers’ decision-making process in purchasing halal food. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through 350 distributed questionnaires toward non-Muslim consumers on five most visited grocery stores (hypermarket-based) in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. The collected data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and SmartPLS. Findings Purchasing halal food remain an uneasy task for the non-Muslim consumers, thus rely on their personal evaluation and closest relative’s approval. Research limitations/implications This study is focusing only on two halal food credence attributes namely health attribute and animal-friendly attributes. Practical implications Both health and animal friendly credence attributes of halal food should be the main message to be conveyed to the non-Muslim consumers. In addition, the inclusion of non-Muslim consumers within the Malaysian halal ecosystem might provide a solution to tackle the resistance of halal food from foreign countries. Originality/value The value of this study is the finding of halal food credence attributes of health and animal friendly, which are the dimensions of HFK.