@Halal July/August 2021 | Page 23

July-August . 2021 | @ Halal

Industry Talk

23
ers today are why the concept of halal is no longer restricted to a religious value . This is because the health concern in food consumption basically shares the same value as the halal concept .
Nity , Matthew , Raudah , and Nurazizah ( 2012 ) stated the concept of being healthy means being watchful over what is taken into the body . It is also about the cleanliness of food , the food source , and the method of handling and preparing the food . The main reason is to minimise any harmful effects on the body .
• Food Quality Food quality is an essential factor in the decision-making process of consumers when purchasing food products . Consumers positively accept products of high quality .
In terms of food , quality is defined by its cleanliness and freshness . To achieve this , food processing methods must sustain the cleanliness and freshness of the food , which directly affects the nutritional value of the food .
Convenience-related quality is related to the time and effort expended when buying , storing , preparing and consuming the product . All of this is directly related to the acceptance by non-Muslims of halal food products since the final product is of the highest quality .
• Animal Welfare The Islamic law preaches a zerotolerance to all forms of animal abuse throughout the halal production supply chain . It demands that when animals are slaughtered , they must be slaughtered mindfully and attentively as espoused by the Prophet Muhammad .
The spiritual quality of meat products is fundamentally vital for halal consumers . Therefore , all spiritual aspects must be met , including animal welfare standards of meat production .
It just so happens that in recent years , there has been a movement amongst non- Muslim consumers to choose products that treat animals fairly and ethically .
Therefore , it further convinces them to buy halal meat products when they know they are appropriately treated before being slaughtered .
Summary
Malaysia consists of different races who also believe in multiple religions , leading to other beliefs , customs and traditions . Such differences may influence their way of living , especially in their eating habits , perception and attitude toward food products .
To increase the awareness of non-Muslims towards halal food , the issue that arises is how knowledgeable they are towards halal products and how the information can influence their decision to choose halal products in their daily lives .
For Muslim consumers , choosing halal food is a must , and it is a religious requirement based on Islamic teachings . Non-Muslim consumers , on the other hand , value halal because of the health benefits it provides , which makes a choice purely voluntary rather than fulfilling a religious requirement .
Halal-certified food products guarantee hygiene and cleanliness . The concept is parallel to fulfilling the need of health-conscious consumers on how they want their food to be produced or prepared .