Search Results (7)

The demand for ethical foods is rising, with halal foods playing a significant role in this trend. However, halal standards vary globally, which can have substantial implications. Multiple Halal Certification Bodies (HCBs) can approve food products but they often prioritize national regulations over international alignment. To explore the similarities and differences in halal standards, we conducted a critical analysis of various standards, including Pakistan’s halal standards, the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapore, Majelis Ulama Indonesia, GCC Standardization Organization, Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia, ASEAN General Guideline, and the halal standards of Thailand, Iran, and Brunei, through a literature survey. While some commonalities exist, differences stemming from various Islamic schools of thought pose challenges for regulators, consumers, and food producers. Controversial issues include stunning, slaughtering, aquatic animals, insects, and labeling requirements. For example, all standards except the GSO allow non-Muslim slaughterers, and stunning is permitted in all standards except those of Pakistan. These disparities underscore the need for standardization and harmonization in the halal food industry to meet the growing demand for ethical foods. Full article

The increasing growth trend of the global Muslim population implies an increase in the consumption of halal products. The importance of the halal market attracts much attention from many stakeholders, including academia/researchers. Many scholars have conducted studies on halal topics. However, these studies cover broad topics, such as ICT potential in the halal sector, the halal supply chain, Islamic Law, and other halal studies related to natural sciences. This study aims to study the research gap and future trends of halal food additive and ingredient research in business and economics using bibliometric analysis. The data were obtained from the Scopus database from 1999 to 2022. The authors analyzed the keyword “Halal Consumption and Production” by using the general keyword “Halal or Haram Additive and Ingredient”. The dataset was uploaded on VOSviewer and R language (Bibliometrix) software. This study found a deficit of studies on halal food additives and ingredients in business and economics. The co-occurrence network output demonstrated that future studies on halal food additives and ingredients should consider clusters that have lower density and central positions, such as production–consumption and the supply chain, healthy foods, and the logistics market and health effects. The Bibliometrix strategic diagram of the 2020–2022 thematic evolution demonstrates a research gap in three out of four quadrants (i.e., emerging or declining, basic, and motor themes). This study suggests potential research areas in the field of halal food additives and ingredients, such as ethical and sustainable sourcing, responsible consumption, consumer sovereignty, international trade, economic modeling, food security, green/sustainable supply chain, and halal regulation and product safety. Full article

Although scholars have examined the link between religiosity and consumer ethics, the idea of Muslim consumer ethics has not received much traction within academia. The idea of Muslim consumer ethics is a manifestation of religious revivalism. Yet, its discussion must consider the critical roles played by Muslim youth and their consumption of new media because the latter has a profound effect on shaping and directing popular Muslim youth cultures. Muslim consumer ethics encompass the moral and humanistic dimension of living in a globalized world as an extension of an individual’s religious practice. This phenomenon of ethical consumption has also been commoditized in a lucrative halal industry that fosters a Muslim identity market. Full article

Islam is the second-largest religion on a global scale. All around the world Muslims are estimated to comprise more than 1.9 billion people. Therefore, the demand for Halal commodities is expected to reach a high growth rate: thus, it is crucial to increase its global market’s reliability and traceability. Based on these grounds, the scope of this paper is to assess Halal food sustainability, examining the barriers and opportunities offered by the certification and blockchain tools. To this purpose, the authors carried out an integrative literature review, selecting 54 contributions in the Web of Science platform. Despite several limitations, such as the lack of a standardized framework or universally accepted and reliable certifying authorities, the implementation of blockchain technology has emerged as an interesting instrument to increase the trustworthiness and traceability of Halal foods. This tool could also help the development of protocols and standard procedures, ensuring hygienic and permitted products that may boost food safety and security. Besides, the enhancement of the Halal certification and the blockchain tool, even if several efforts are required in terms of innovation and cooperation by local authorities, industrial associations and leading consumers, could enhance fair trade, ethical business, green animal breeding and environmental economics, and hence sustainable development. Full article

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) concepts are spread out in different organizations and cultures. To comprehend the Muslim consumers’ perception of CSR, this study conducted a self-administered survey in two Muslim-culture-rich countries, Pakistan and Sudan. Combined with previous studies and Carroll’s pyramid of CSR, this study shows that Muslim consumers have more supportive responses toward CSR compared to consumers of Western, developed countries. The findings of the study also reveal that Carroll’s pyramid of responsibilities could be applied in the Muslim culture, as the relative importance placed by Muslim consumers on the four responsibilities of firms—economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic—is significantly different from that in Western, developed countries. These differences provide useful guidance for firms intending to use CSR for strategic purposes in Muslim countries. The reasons for these phenomena are also discussed. Full article

The demand for halal cosmetic products among the 2.4 billion Muslim consumers worldwide is increasing. However, the demand for halal cosmetics remains unmet because cosmetics production is dominated by non-halal cosmetic manufacturers, whose production methods may not conform with the requirements of halal science. The development of halal cosmetics and the assessment of their product performance is still in its infancy. The integration of halal science in the manufacture of most cosmetic products remains inadequate. Moreover, there is a global dearth of guiding documents on the development and assessment techniques in the production of comprehensively halal cosmetics. This paper aims to abridge existing literature and knowledge of halal and cosmetic science in order to provide essential technical guidance in the manufacture of halal cosmetics. In addition, the adoption of these methods addresses the unique ethical issues associated with conformance of cosmetics’ product performance to religious practices and halal science. It highlights the applicability of established methods in skin science in the assessment of halal cosmetics. Full article

Despite distorting narratives about extremism, specific individuals and communities of Muslims in America ground themselves in wholesome relationships among people and in the places where they find home. Between 2001 and 2009, Taqwa Eco-food Cooperative designed eco-halal food education and distribution for Chicago Muslims, promoting ethical praxis with local animals, lands, waters, farmers, farm workers, and fellow consumers. Founded and funded by an interfaith non-profit organization, Taqwa generated pluralistic community with an internally diverse Muslim community, local farmers, and interfaith partners. Amidst popular contempt for terrorism, Taqwa leaders reasserted wholesome Muslim identity by re-territorializing religiosity, enhancing care-based relations in local foodscapes. Concurring with religious studies scholarship on ecology, lived religion, and pluralism, Taqwa grounded religious meaning in materially significant, personal relationships in their local community of life. Responding to lived religious meaning nested in an ecologically holistic sense of place, Taqwa leaders crafted a purity-oriented project, inscribing identity through its beneficial relations with land and home, despite instances of migratory displacement, diasporic considerations, and externally produced problematic distortions of what it means to be Muslim in America. Full article