Title: Halal food purchase intention: the mediating role of trust in the Chinese consumer market

Authors: Meng Tao; Peng Zhuoqun; Faizan Alam

Addresses: International Business College and School of Business Administration, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, 217, Jianshan Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning 116025, China ' School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, 217, Jianshan Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning 116025, China ' School of Business Administration, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, 217, Jianshan Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning 116025, China

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has helped raise the profile of halal foods due to their hygienic and tidy preparation. More non-Muslim consumers have also come to recognise the halal method as healthy and humane toward animals, and the foods made in this manner as healthy and tasty. The primary aim of the present study is to determine the association between consumers' trust in halal foods and their inclination to purchase them in China, a communist country of mainly non-Muslims. It aims to investigate themes such as credibility, certification, nutrition, and cleanliness as drivers of trust in halal foods and of the intention to purchase them. The study validates the conceptual framework via the convenience sampling of 368 Chinese consumers to test and measure structural models. Its findings indicate that trust plays a crucial role in non-Muslim consumers' choice for halal foods. Notably, these results provide a menu of potential managerial actions to improve halal product awareness in non-Muslim-majority countries like China.

Keywords: halal foods; COVID-19; halal trust; halal certification; halal consumption.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTM.2023.135069

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 2023 Vol.28 No.5/6, pp.343 - 359

Received: 04 Jun 2021
Accepted: 09 Sep 2021
Published online: 30 Nov 2023 *

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