An empirical studies of purchasing intention towards halal food among non-muslim consumers

The concept of halal has not been a major element among non-Muslim consumers, even for those who have lived in an Islamic country all their lives. Non-Muslim consumers lack the knowledge on the true meaning of halal food and view the concept only as a requirement for the Muslim. This has led them to ignore the advantages that could be obtained from purchasing halal food. Thus, the objective of the research is to explore whether attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and knowledge influenced the intention to purchase halal food among non-Muslim consumers in Malaysia. A survey was conducted in Klang Valley where 427 non-Muslim respondents clicked and answered a structured questionnaire via SurveyMonkey to gather the related information. Based on the multiple linear regression analysis, attitude, subjective norm and knowledge significantly influenced the intention to purchase halal food, while perceived behavioral control did not significantly influence the intention to purchase. The research findings indicated that non-Muslim individuals were inclined to purchase halal food when they knew or were informed by their peers on the true meaning of halal. Therefore, entrepreneurs, manufacturers and marketers must create an effective strategy to educate the existing non-Muslim customers in Malaysia as a preparation to attract non- Muslim consumers globally.