FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION OF HALAL READY-TO-EAT FOOD

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FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION OF HALAL READY-TO-EAT FOOD

PRODUCTS IN KLANG VALLEY MALAYSIA

BY

SUHAIZA BINTI SAFIAN

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science (Marketing)

Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences International Islamic University Malaysia

SEPTEMBER 2019

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ABSTRACT

The aim of this research is to ascertain the factors that affect consumer purchase intention of halal ready-to-eat food products in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Demand for ready-to-eat food products due to its convenience has driven the growth of this industry. Ready-to-eat food products have become a lifestyle and a necessity for those residing in urban areas nowadays. However, the issues associated with ready-to-eat food products have become a stimulus to the demand for halal ready-to-eat food products due to rising concerns about health among the consumers. Primary data were collected through convenient sampling by distributing self-administered questionnaires to identify the factors affecting consumer purchase intention of halal ready-to-eat food products. A survey was conducted in Klang Valley, Malaysia, where data were collected from 300 respondents consisting of Muslim and non-Muslim consumers. Theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used as the conceptual framework, and the variables identified are attitude, subjective norms, perceived behaviour and one additional variable which is awareness. The collected data were tested by using multiple regression analysis in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings show that all the variables are significant and can be accepted. Surprisingly, awareness was found to be the most significant factor that influences consumer purchase intention of halal ready-to-eat food products. This research is useful for marketing management and the policymakers, especially those involved in the halal ready-to-eat food industry. Researchers and academicians can benefit from the findings highlighted and can gain better insights into the purchase intention of consumers towards buying halal ready-to-eat food products.

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ثحبلا ةصلاخ

ABSTRACT IN ARABIC

فدهي اذه

ثحبلا لىإ

ققحتلا نم

لماوعلا ا يذ ل رثؤي ىلع ةين ءارش كلهتسلما تاجتنملل

ةيئاذغلا ةزهالجا

لكلأل في

،لياف جنلاك ىدأو .ايزيلام

بلطلا ىلع

تاجتنلما ةيئاذغلا

ةزهالجا

لكلأل ببسب

اهتمءلام لىإ

ونم هذه تحبصأو .ةعانصلا تاجتنلما

لا ةيئاذغ ةزهالجا لكلأل

بولسأ ةايح

ةرورضو ةبسنلاب

كئلولأ ينميقلما

في قطانلما ةيرضلحا

عمو .رضالحا تقولا في

،كلذ نإف اياضقلا ةطبترلما

تاجتنلماب ةيئاذغلا

ةزهالجا لكلأل

تحبصأ اًزفاح

ىلع بلطلا

ىلع تاجتنلما ةيئاذغلا

ةزهالجا لكلأل

للالحا ببسب

فواخلما ةديازتلما

نأشب ةحصلا ينب

تمو .ينكلهتسلما عجم

تانايبلا ةيلولأا

ذخأب تانيع ةمئلام

نم للاخ عيزوت تانايبتسا ةيتاذ

ةرادلإا ديدحتل لماوعلا

يذلا رثؤي ىلع ةين ءارش كلهتسلما تاجتنملل

لكلأل

تمو .للالحا ءارجإ

حسم في لياف جنلاك

،ايزيلابم ثيح

تم عجم تانايبلا نم

033 ش صخ

نم ينملسلما ،ينكراشلما يرغو

تمو .ينملسلما مادختسا

ةيرظن كولسلا ططخلما

( TPB )

راطإك

،يميهافم تايرغتلماو

ةددلمحا يه

،فقولما يرياعلماو

،ةيتاذلا كولسلاو

روصتلما يرغتمو

فياضإ دحاو وهو يعولا . تمو رابتخا تانايبلا تيلا

تم اهعجم مادختساب ليلتح

رادنحلاا ددعتلما

في ةمزلحا ةيئاصحلإا مولعلل

ةيعامتجلاا (

SPSS .)

ينبتو جئاتنلا نأ

عيجم تايرغتلما ةمهم

نكيمو الهوبق . يرثلماو ةشهدلل نأ

يعولا وه لماعلا رثكلأا

ةيهمأ يذلا رثؤي ىلع ةين ءارش

كلهتسلما تاجتنملل

لكلأل . دعيو اذه ثحبلا اًديفم

ةرادلإ قيوستلا

يعناصو ايسلا

ًةصاخ ،تاس ينكراشلما ينب

في ةعانص ةمعطلأا ةزهالجا

لكلأل للالحا . نكيمو

ينثحابلل ينييمداكلأاو

ةدافتسلاا نم

جئاتنلا تيلا

تم طيلست ءوضلا

اهيلع مهنكيمو لوصلحا

ىلع ةيؤر لضفأ لوح ةين ءارشلا ينكلهتسملل ونح

ءارش كلهتسلما تاجتنملل

لكلأل للالحا

.

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APPROVAL PAGE

I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion; it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Science (Marketing).

………

Nur Kamariah binti Abdul Wahid Supervisor

I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Science (Marketing).

………

Kalthom binti Abdullah Internal Examiner

………

Muhammad Tahir Jan Internal Examiner

This dissertation was submitted to the Department of Business Administration and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science (Marketing).

………

Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf Head, Department of Business Administration

This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Economics and Management of Science and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science (Marketing).

………

Hassanuddeen Bin Abd.Aziz Dean, Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.

Suhaiza binti Safian

Signature ... Date ...

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COPYRIGHT PAGE

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH

FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION OF HALAL READY-TO-EAT FOOD PRODUCTS IN KLANG

VALLEY MALAYSIA

I declare that the copyright holders of this dissertation are jointly owned by the student and IIUM.

No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below

1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.

2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.

3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieved system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries.

By signing this form, I acknowledged that I have read and understand the IIUM Intellectual Property Right and Commercialization policy.

Affirmed by Suhaiza binti Safian

……..……….. ………..

Signature Date

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Alhamdulillah, all praises to Allah, the Almighty, the Most Gracious and Most Merciful. Alhamdulillah for providing me with the will, ability, and patience to acquire knowledge and complete my master's degree.

Firstly, it is my utmost pleasure to dedicate this work to my dear parents and my family, who granted me the gift of their unwavering belief in my ability to accomplish this goal. Thank you for your support and patience.

Secondly, sincere gratitude and special thanks to my supervisor Dr. Nur Kamariah binti Abdul Wahid for her continuous support, endless encouragement and leadership, and for that, I will be forever grateful.

I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to my lecturers in the department and the faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, classmates and colleagues and those who helped me with their time, effort and support to complete this dissertation. To the members of my dissertation committee, thank you for sticking with me.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ... 11

2.1 Introduction ... 11

2.2 The Concept of Halal Food ... 11

2.3 Ready-To-Eat Food ... 13

2.4 Halal Ready-To-Eat Food Product in Malaysia ... 15

2.5 Related Theories of the Studies... 17

2.6 Purchase Intention ... 19

2.7 Attitude ... 22

2.8 Subjective Norms ... 24

2.9 Perceived Behavioral Control ... 26

2.10 Awareness ... 28

2.11 Summary of Hypotheses ... 31

2.12 Conceptual Framework ... 31

2.13 Chapter Summary ... 32

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ... 33

3.2 Research Design ... 33

3.3 Target Population ... 34

3.4 Sample Area ... 34

3.5 Sample Size ... 35

3.6 Sampling Method ... 36

3.7 Data Collection Method ... 36

3.8 Instrument Design ... 37

3.9 Pilot Test ... 39

3.10 Data Analysis Tools ... 40

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3.10.1 Descriptive Analysis ... 40

3.10.2 Reliability Analysis ... 40

3.10.3 Pearson’s Correlation Analysis ... 41

3.10.4 Multiple Regression Analysis ... 42

3.11 Chapter Summary ... 42

CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION OF DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ... 44

4.2 Data Preparation and Screening ... 44

4.3 Descriptive Analysis ... 45

4.3.1 Demographic Characteristics of Respondents ... 45

4.3.2 Descriptive Analysis ... 49

4.4 Reliability Analysis ... 53

4.5 Correlation Among Constructs ... 55

4.6 Multiple Regression Analysis ... 56

4.7 Hypotheses Testing ... 57

4.8 Chapter Summary... 60

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ... 61

5.2 Summary of Findings ... 61

5.3 Discussion of Findings ... 62

5.4 Implications ... 65

5.4.1 Theoretical Implication ... 65

5.4.2 Managerial Implication ... 66

5.5 Limitations of the Study ... 67

5.6 Conclusion ... 68

5.7 Recommendations and Suggestions for Future Research ... 68

REFERENCES ... 70

APPENDIX A: RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE ... 75

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LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Page No.

3.1 Questionnaire Structure 37

3.2 Scales Used in the Questionnaires 38

4.1 Halal Ready-to-Eat Food Product Consumer 45

4.2 Frequency of Consumption 46

4.3 Gender 46

4.4 Ages 47

4.5 Race 47

4.6 Religion 48

4.7 Marital Status 48

4.8 Educational Level 48

4.9 Working Status 49

4.10 Descriptive Statistics: Attitude 50

4.11 Descriptive Statistics: Subjective Norms 50

4.12 Descriptive Statistics: Perceived Behavioral Control 51

4.13 Descriptive Statistics: Awareness 52

4.14 Descriptive Statistics: Purchase Intention of Halal Ready-to-Eat

Food 52

4.15 Reliability Statistics 53

4.16 Reliability Statistics 54

4.17 Correlation Analysis 55

4.18 Model Summary of Regression Analysis 56

4.19 Result of Hypotheses Testing 56

4.20 Summary Result of Hypotheses Testing 60

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Page No.

1.1 Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991) 18

2.1 Conceptual Framework of Purchase Intention of Halal Ready-to-

Eat Food Product 31

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Food is an essential need and right of everyone as it is required for the normal functioning of the body (Patel & Rathod, 2017) due to its various roles in ensuring a healthy growth (Siti Hasnah, 2011). Due to their awareness of the importance of health and its impact on the body, consumers are trying to maintain their health by seeking food that can prevent adverse health implications and improve their mental state and quality of life (Ahmad, 1996; Hasler, 1998; Milner, 1999; Poulsen, 1999).

Today, changes in consumer behaviour especially in their eating habits (Osman et al., 2014) and changes in the needs of society due to modernisation have created a need for ready-to-eat food products because consumers prefer a more convenient way of preparing food so that they can spend the least amount of time cooking (Viksna et al., 2016). Escalating demand is seen for ready-to-eat food products, which have become an important meal for most people specifically the urban communities who have a busy daily life (Nondzor & Tawiah, 2015). This is because ready-to-eat food products provide busy people with convenient meals that are easy to store and prepare (Harper, 1981). Furthermore, Harper (1981) argued that ready-to-eat food products have gained consumers’ interest because those products are valuable and have an attractive texture and appearance to them.

A ready-to-eat food product is any food for consumption with no further heating or preparation required (The Food Standard Agency, 2011). It can also be defined as a food product that is made fast, canned, frozen, dried, instant, and preserved (Selvarajn, 2012). There is a wide variety of ready-to-eat food products,

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such as standardised pizzas, pies, stuffed rolls, stuffed pancakes, kebabs, and sushi (ICAP, 2010). The scope of this research does not allow for mentioning all these foods, and it is important to highlight that new ready-to-eat food products are being introduced to the market every day, making the list of this type of food a rapidly growing list (Fast, 1999).

However, ready-to-eat food products do not come without cost and risk.

Although the convenience of a ready-to-eat food product is preferred by most people, it is also accompanied by health issues such as long-term health effects and chronic diseases (Celnik et al., 2012). According to previous studies, some ready-to-eat food products can be categorised as high-risk food due to the growth of pathogenic (food poisoning) bacteria or the formation of toxins in the food. To avoid these issues, this type of food must be kept at a certain temperature (NSW, 2009). Moreover, consumers lack the awareness of the adverse effects of ready-to-eat food products that may contain genetically modified organisms (GMO) substances, a high concentration of salt, preservatives, and addictive substances. Sometimes, consumers are not aware of the contents before purchasing these products due to the lack of enforcement on food labeling for GMO in ready-to-eat food products (Singh & Tan, 2013).

Consumers can potentially compromise the safety of the food, as ready-to-eat food products are consumed primarily with no re-heating, and the processing, transport, and handling are managed by the retailers (Anonymous, 2013; Stahl et al., 2015). Food safety assurance depends on the proper application of adequate methods and resources with the implementation of good manufacturing practices and hygiene because consumers demand not only convenience but also the cleanliness of the food products.

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Therefore, ensuring the quality and safety of these food products presents an enormous challenge for food business operators; it involves using coordinated microbiological and safety criteria that make it possible to assess the acceptability of foodstuff in the production, processing, and distribution stages (Melngaile, 2008;

Marcenkova, 2010; Melngaile et al., 2014). Several health cases have emerged, affecting people all around the world concerning the safety and microbiological quality of these food products, such as foodborne diseases (Kaneko et al., 1996; Mead et al., 2009; Nguz, 2007). According to the Malaysia Ministry of Health (2017), approximately 56.99 incidences of foodborne and waterborne diseases were reported for every 100,000 population in Malaysia. Some contributing factors for these diseases include insecure sources, inadequate cooking, inappropriate holding temperature, contamination of equipment, and poor personal hygiene (Food and Drug Administration, 2009).

At the same time, consumers demand a high-quality diet comprising healthy products that must comply with the Shariah requirements (Al-Harran & Low, 2008), as there are numerous health implications associated with poor nutrition and unhealthy food products from their daily food consumption (Rice, 1993). The health concerns encompass several healthcare aspects, such as the type of nutrition from food that is taken into the body, food hygiene, food sources, and also the procedure for food handling and preparation to reduce adverse health implications to the body (Mathew et al., 2012).

Resulting from public unawareness of food security and high-risk food products, various forms of research have been conducted to devise a system with in- built safety, quality, and nutritional assurance (MARDI, 1999). In assuring consumer safety, Malaysia has developed standards on halal food through agencies including

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Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), Department of Standards Malaysia, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia, and Malaysian Institute of Industrial Research and Standard (SIRIM) (Talib et al., 2008) to convince that the Malaysian standards will not certify halal or food products which are unsafe to the consumers.

Nowadays, due to the rising health concerns among society, consumers’

demand for food has changed substantially where both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers are more aware of the concept of halal. The halal concept is not specific to the Muslim society (Alam & Nazura, 2011), but has also attracted the interest of non- Muslim consumers when it comes to food. They start looking for food that can help them to maintain their health and improve their quality of life because of their awareness about the importance of health. This awareness can benefit the halal food producers because the health concerns in food consumption share the same value with the halal concept, which encompasses hygiene, cleanliness, and the quality of the food consumed (Mathew et al., 2012).

Halal in ready-to-eat food products includes the ingredients used, safety issues, and the production process which covers manufacturing, storage, packaging, and delivery, all of which must comply with the Shariah requirements (Hussain et al., 2013). Being halal and toyyib, halal food is not only healthy but also safe for consumption (Muhammad, 2007; Hassan, 2011). Hence, the strong need for halalan toyyiban ready-to-eat food, especially among Muslim consumers, is due to the health consciousness and the culture of eating that have undergone some transformation because of the current trend of urbanisation that has affected food consumption and the eating behaviour of the people (Nondzor & Tawiah, 2015). Therefore, this study

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seeks to identify the factors affecting consumer purchase intention of halal ready-to- eat food products in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

In recent years, lifestyle changes and trends that are appropriate to health awareness have influenced the intention of purchasing ready-to-eat food products (Vijayabaskar

& Sundaram, 2012). Thus, consumers who are becoming concerned about food safety and living a healthy lifestyle seek halal ready-to-eat food products, and the halal proposition can be popularised among the consumers if they are aware of the health, hygiene, and safety issues surrounding ready-to-eat food products (Quantaniah et al., 2013). These concerns can increase the awareness of halal ready-to-eat food products, thus affecting consumer purchase intention. However, most of the previous studies were conducted on halal food consumption (Ahmed, 2008; Shafie & Othman, 2006), and there are limited empirical studies specifically on halal ready-to-eat food products.

As Muslims, it is compulsory to consume halal food as it is closely related to the religious obligation in Islam (Khalek, 2015). However, not all Muslim consumers consume halal food because of religious beliefs. They may do so because of their attitude towards halal food, the influence of the people around them, and the perceived overconsumption of halal food products (Bonne et al., 2007). In this current study, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and awareness are selected as factors that affect consumers’ intention to purchase halal ready-to-eat food products. Based on the review of the literature and to the best of the researcher’s knowledge, limited studies have been conducted on the purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products in Klang Valley by using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Most of the previous halal food studies that have been conducted

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used the TPB (Khalek et al., 2015). Several studies found that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control have a positive relationship with consumers’ intention to consume halal food (Mukhtar & Butt, 2012; Abdul Aziz &

Chok, 2012; Alam & Sayuti, 2011; Bonne & Verbeke, 2008).

Besides, consumers who are health-conscious are motivated to maintain their health and quality of life because of their awareness and concern about well-being (Schifferstain, 1998). Several studies indicated that there are substantial awareness on the purchase intention towards halal foods (Vadakepat, 2013; Lai et al., 2010).

Surprisingly, purchase intention is influenced by an increasing consumers’ awareness of halal food products, which are perceived to be healthier with safer ingredients and processes to achieve the highest standards of quality (Quantaniah et al., 2013). Thus, these benefits can increase the awareness of these food products, which can affect purchase intention. Besides, one study by Aziz and Viu (2012) found that halal awareness, halal certification, marketing promotion, and brand can influence the purchase intention towards halal food.

In this study, in addition to attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control, another factor, namely awareness is proposed as a determinant of consumers’

purchase intention. It is in line with Aziz and Chok (2014), which found awareness as a key factor that affects the purchase intention towards halal food. However, limited research has been conducted regarding awareness as a determinant of the purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products in an urban setting. Therefore, this study addresses this problem by investigating the direct effect of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and awareness on consumer purchase intention of halal ready-to-eat food products. In other words, this gap has become the focus of interest in this study, as it is necessary to look at consumers’ purchase intention of

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halal ready-to-eat food products among Muslim and non-Muslim consumers in urban areas.

1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study are divided into two parts, which are general objective and specific objectives, as explained below:

1.3.1 General Objective:

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting consumer purchase intention of halal ready-to-eat food products in Klang Valley, Malaysia, by applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

1.3.2 Specific Objectives:

The following specific objectives are pursued in this study:

1. To examine the effect of attitude on the purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products.

2. To examine the effect of subjective norms on the purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products.

3. To examine the effect of perceived behavioural control on the purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products.

4. To examine the effect of awareness on the purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products.

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8 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

With these objectives in mind, this study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. Does attitude affect the purchase intention towards halal-ready to-eat food products?

2. Do subjective norms affect the purchase intention towards halal ready-to- eat food products?

3. Does perceived behavioural control affect the purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products?

4. Does awareness affect the purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research is carried out to ascertain consumers’ intention to purchase halal ready- to-eat food products by applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model with attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control as the proposed independent variables. The researcher also focuses on awareness, as halal ready-to-eat food products are related to consumers’ knowledge of health concerns before they intend to buy these food products.

From the managerial point of view, this research will help marketers or entrepreneurs to take advantage of the business opportunities in the halal industry for a chance to increase their profits, as halal food products have a huge potential to generate more income (Sazelin, 2008) and to get some ideas on an effective marketing strategy (Sandhusen, 2000). Nowadays, consumers are aware of the food that they consume, especially among the Muslim consumers who are concerned about the halal

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status of their food. As stated by Yunus et al. (2013), the halal consciousness of a Muslim has a great influence on their purchase intention.

Not only Muslim but also non-Muslim consumers demand for halal products because of the positive perception that halal products are safer and healthier, with a more humane treatment of the animals. If both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers have an awareness about the halal concept, then their purchase intention will increase and they will want to consume only halal products. Halal awareness is important not only for the consumers but also from the point of view of the marketers. It is vital for companies to obtain and acquire a halal certification. It is a marketing strategy for the manufacturers to attract consumers to purchase their products (Waskito, 2012). The halal certification will help to influence consumers to be more interested in buying their products, as there is a strong relationship between halal certification, consumer knowledge, and the intention to buy halal food products.

Consequently, the high demand and the trend of consuming halal ready-to-eat food products due to food safety and its convenience to prepare have attracted the attention of researchers and policymakers to investigate consumers’ food choices.

This study is also expected to contribute to the government’s initiatives on halal food consumption by enhancing the knowledge of policymakers regarding how to develop strategies to influence consumers’ intention to purchase halal ready-to-eat food products, especially in urban areas. Thus, they will have a better understanding of the halal food business in order to provide the right products using the right processes according to JAKIM’s regulations. This study is also expected to contribute to the Malaysian government and Muslim society in the aspect of realising Malaysia’s aspiration to become a global halal food hub (Khalek, 2015).

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10 1.6 CHAPTER SUMMARY

This chapter has explained the background information of the research by focusing on the major part of the research. This chapter started with the background of the study on the purchase intention to buy halal ready-to-eat foods products. The next section discussed the problems that motivated the researcher to conduct this study. Then, the theoretical framework, research objectives, and research questions were explained.

The next section presented the significance and scope of the study. The next chapter will present the literature review, theoretical framework, and hypotheses of the study.

The literature review involves discussing past research in areas related to the study.

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CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter Two illustrates the factors affecting consumers' intention to purchase halal ready-to-eat food products. These variables can be categorized into attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and awareness. The chapter covers a variety of publications related to the topic of this research. The chapter first discusses the key concepts related to halal ready-to-eat food and consumer's purchase intention. Next, the chapter discusses in detail the variables of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and awareness that are deemed to influence consumer's purchase intention towards halal ready-to-eat food products.

2.2 THE CONCEPT OF HALAL FOOD

There are various definitions of halal food; however, according to Waarden and Dalen (2010) almost all definitions of halal food refer to the notion that was stated in the Holy Quran (in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:168):

O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth (that is) lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy

Al-Qadarawi (1999) defines halal food as what is allowed or lawful for Muslims to consume without a doubt. According to Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development, halal food is food that is not made of or contains any part of the animal, which is forbidden by Islam and does not contain any impure element (Shahidan &

Othman, 2004). Moreover, the definition of halal food is extended to cover all types of

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food that may harm the body, mind, or soul of a person. In addition, halal food should not only be of no harm to the mind, body, and soul of a person, it should also be of good nutritional quality (toyyib) that helps the body to sustain good health. This notion is clearly stated in the Holy Quran (in Surah Al-A’raf: verse 160):

Eat of good things We have provide for you.

The concept of halal food is not confined to the notions of nutritional and healthy food, it also includes some guidelines on how the food should be prepared and served. This includes guidelines on slaughtering, preparing, storing, packaging, and distributing food (Shahidan & Othman, 2004). Mustafa et al. (2014) stated that the core notion behind halal food is the sustainability of a safe and healthy life. This implies that halal food is food that is safe and hygienic. In fact, Islam stressed on the importance of purity and cleanness in many verses of the Holy Quran (Kasmarini et al., 2015). Therefore, Islamic teachings prohibit the consumption of unclean foods and products that could be toxic and harmful to the body (Basri, 2009). In this context, the Holy Quran (Surah Al-An’am, verse 14) states that:

Say, shall I take for guardian (anyone) other than Allah, the originator of the heavens and the earth, who feeds and is not fed? Say I have been commanded to be the first of those who submit (to Allah) and never be one of the polytheists.

Husain et al. (2012) highlighted the concept of halal food by shedding the lights on the term halalan toyyiban that is mentioned in the Holy Quran. Halalan toyyiban refers to food that is, according to the Islamic teachings, permissible, of good quality, healthy, and hygienic (Husain et al., 2012). Hunter (2012) argued that the concept of halal food influences the industrial-process of halal food production.

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According to the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC, 2014), the concept of halalan toyyiban influences the process of halal food production in several ways, including the managerial aspects, ethics of the industry, the policies of human resources, and the process of the selection of the materials.

This implies that all production activities from the raw materials to the final product of halal food must adhere to the Islamic guidelines (Jaafar et al., 2011). In other words, the production of halal food is a process that fully adheres to the Shariah principle which results in products that are healthy and clean from contamination, consistent with what the Holy Quran states in Surah al-Nahl verse 114-115:

Then eat of what Allah has provided for you which is lawful and good, and be grateful for the favors of Allah if it is, He whom ye serve. He has only forbidden you dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and any food over which the name of other Allah has been invoked. But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, Allah is oft forgiving and most merciful

2.3 READY-TO-EAT FOOD

The Korean Food Code (2009) defines ready-to-eat food as the food that is made to be safely consumed without further cooking. Besides, according to the Food Standard Agency (2011), ready-to-eat food is pre-wrapped or open food that does not need to be processed before eating, which means that the food does not need to be heated, washed, chopped, sliced, portioned, marinated, or preserved. Ready-to-eat food has two unique features making them prevailing products; these features are ‘time buying’

and ‘time-saving' (Brown & McEnally, 1992; Darian & Cohen, 1995).

A more technical definition of ready-to-eat food was introduced by Candel (2001). According to this definition, ready-to-eat food is a reflection of convenient food, which translates to energy-saving food. Moreover, a group of researchers

FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION OF HALAL READY-TO-EAT FOOD