Awareness of purchasing halal food among non-Muslim consumers: An explorative study with reference to Cape Town of South Africa
ISSN: 1759-0833
Article publication date: 28 August 2019
Issue publication date: 24 October 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and investigate the awareness level of non-Muslim consumers to purchasing halal food products. Research on the non-Muslim consumers’ awareness towards purchasing halal food products is poorly understood so far in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory case study was adopted to explore new points of views about a particular issue, which is unknown, or not much known about it, to formulate ideas or propositions. Semi-structured interviews were the major primary data collection method. Four non-Muslim consumers from different settings purposively were selected. Thematic data analysis procedures were used.
Findings
The study found that non-Muslim consumers in Cape Town have a positive awareness of halal food, including its benefits and the production processes involved in producing it. The study also concluded that halal is not merely a commercial name using as a trademark in the global market. However, halal has several dimensions; primarily, for non-Muslim consumers, it is a mark of health and hygiene. With regard to psychological aspect, halal is considered as a sign of trust, comfortable and safe. It gives consumers a peace of mind when they consume food products that carry the halal label.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations in the study should be acknowledged. The main limitation of the study is that a small sample size was selected for this study. Another limitation is that the study was only conducted in the city of Cape Town.
Originality/value
This is the first qualitative study of its kind that presents an empirical evidence about the awareness of the non-Muslim consumers towards purchasing halal food products in South Africa, in general, and in Cape Town, in particular.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Declaration of conflicting interests: The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article. No funding was received for this study.
Citation
Bashir, A.M. (2020), "Awareness of purchasing halal food among non-Muslim consumers: An explorative study with reference to Cape Town of South Africa", Journal of Islamic Marketing, Vol. 11 No. 6, pp. 1295-1311. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-04-2018-0077
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited