Journal of Food Products Marketing
ISSN: 1045-4446 (Print) 1540-4102 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wfpm20
Halal Purchase Intention Among the Singaporean
Muslim Minority
Mohd Fauzi Abu-Hussin, Fuadah Johari, Aminuddin Hehsan & Mohd Saiful
Anwar Bin Mohd Nawawi
To cite this article: Mohd Fauzi Abu-Hussin, Fuadah Johari, Aminuddin Hehsan & Mohd Saiful
Anwar Bin Mohd Nawawi (2016): Halal Purchase Intention Among the Singaporean Muslim
Minority, Journal of Food Products Marketing, DOI: 10.1080/10454446.2016.1141139
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10454446.2016.1141139
Published online: 28 Jun 2016.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 14
View related articles
View Crossmark data
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at
http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=wfpm20
Download by: [Weill Cornell Medical College]
Date: 30 July 2016, At: 11:45
JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10454446.2016.1141139
Halal Purchase Intention Among the Singaporean Muslim
Minority
Mohd Fauzi Abu-Hussin a, Fuadah Johari b, Aminuddin Hehsana,
and Mohd Saiful Anwar Bin Mohd Nawawic
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
a
Faculty of Islamic Civilization, UTM, Johor Bahru, Malaysia; bFaculty of Economics and Muamalat,
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), Nilai, Malaysia; cAcademy of Islamic Studies, University of
Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
ABSTRACT
KEYWORDS
Muslim consumers’ awareness toward halal foods and products
has been increasing. The halal concept becomes consumers’
vital concern as it covers wide areas of consumption, though
one might perceive it as only a food-related issue. Given this
background, this article aims to investigate the factors that
influence consumers’ intention to purchase halal-certified
foods and products. By using Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a theoretical framework, this research employed a
quantitative survey with a sample of 332 Muslim consumers
living in Singapore to examine Singaporean Muslim preferences in purchasing halal foods and products. Data gathered
from the survey were then explored and analyzed. Multiple
regression analysis results indicate that all TPB variables have a
positive and significant influence on the intention to purchase
halal-certified products among the Muslim minority in
Singapore.
Halal-certified foods; Muslim
minority; planned behavior
Introduction
Halal is an Arabic/Quranic term that means “permissible” or “allowed.” It
can be applied to various aspects of Muslim life, including transaction
practices, muamalah, that relate to ibadah. For the majority of Muslims,
however, halal refers to the daily consumption of food, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and so on. In defining halal in accordance to Islamic teaching and
law, all issues concerning halal or haram and all disputes should be referred
to the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic tradition). A particular food or consumer product becomes halal or haram by Shariah law if it is considered so
by any one of the above-mentioned sources or fatwa (religious edicts) issued
by a competent Islamic authority (Latif, 2011).
Although obtaining halal foods is not a major issue in a country where
Muslims are in the majority, problems occur when a significant amount of
processed food, medicine, and other products is imported. In some countries
CONTACT Mohd Fauzi Abu-Hussin
mohdfauziabu@utm.my
Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
© 2016 Taylor & Francis
Faculty of Islamic Civilization, Universiti
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
2
M. F. ABU-HUSSIN ET AL.
where Muslims are in the minority or even represent slightly more than 50%
and where halal certification had been virtually nonexistent, Muslims have
begun to rely on halal-certified products, particularly meats and processed
food (Chaudry, Jackson, Hussaini, & Hussaini, 2000). In fact, the Muslim
community had no formally established infrastructure to monitor halal
authentication. Nevertheless, recent developments show that many Muslim
countries have developed their own standards and system of certifying
products’ halalness.
This development shows that Muslim consumer awareness of halal products has been increasing, and this leads to the increasing demand for
certified halal products. This trend is seen in both Muslim majority and
minority countries. With the effect of globalization, the circulation of certified halal products has become significant around the globe. Muslim minority countries, however, not only consume certified halal products but also
produce halal and market them all over the world. Singapore, for example,
issues halal certification that is highly recognized all over the Muslim world.
The Muslim consumer market is the fastest-growing in the world, owing to
two reasons. First, it can be linked to religious favor and beliefs that it is
cleaner, healthier, and tastier (Burgmann, 2007). Second, there is tremendous
acceptance of halal within the global population. The Canadian International
Markets Bureau reports an international halal food trade of $150 billion a year.
Scope and objectives
Halal products have become a phenomenon in Muslim majority countries,
especially among the Muslim countries in Southeast Asia. Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Brunei introduced their own halal accreditation to assure
that “halal claimed” products are certified halal. Singapore, a Muslim minority country, introduced halal certification through Majlis Ugama Islam
Singapura, known as MUIS (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore).
Consumers in non-majority Muslim countries such as Singapore might
find it difficult to find halal foods and products, and they may have to look to
neighboring countries such as Malaysia. The objective of this study is to
investigate Singaporean Muslim preferences in obtaining halal foods and
products by using the classical theory of planned behavior. Given the
increasing phenomenon of halal-based products, investigating consumer
decisions toward purchasing halal-certified products is timely (Bonne, Iris,
Florence, & Verbeke, 2007). The study of halal consumption is also important because the market for halal is booming and has policy implications.
Therefore, this research explores the dimensions of the purchasing intentions
of halal products among the Singaporean Muslim minority.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING
3
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
Determining halal food consumption
There have been several proposed models for researchers to explain consumer
behaviors toward food in general. Works by Sparks and Shepherd (1992);
Robinson and Smith (2002); Shepherd, Sparks, and Guthrie (2005); Chen
(2007); Arvola et al. (2008); and Leßmann and Masson (2015) on organic food
consumption, Bogers, Brug, Van Assema, and Dagnelie (2004); Lautenschlager
and Smith (2007); Emanuel, McCully, Gallagher, and Updegraff (2012) on fruit
and vegetable consumption; and also works on attitudes toward food choice
behaviors (Keith, Nikolaos, & Panagiotis, 1994) are among the interesting topics
in determining consumer behavior toward a set of dietary preferences. There is
also research attributed to halal food preferences (Bonne et al., 2007; Bonne &
Verbeke, 2008; Shah Alam & Mohamed Sayuti, 2011; Soesilowati, 2010;
Stephenson, 2014; Wu, Yang, & Chiu, 2014).
Existing research on halal food preferences has covered various aspects,
including Muslim perception and acceptance of halal food and its credentials
(Khalek, 2014; Mathew, Abdullah, & Ismail, 2014; Omar, Mat, Imhemed, &
Ali, 2012), noncompliance issues (Rahman, Saleh, Rahman, & Hashim,
2011), consumer purchasing behaviors (Bonne et al., 2007; Shah Alam &
Mohamed Sayuti, 2011), trust in the halal process (Bonne & Verbeke, 2008),
and halal logistics (Tieman, Ghazali, & Vorst, 2013). Many studies on this
issue were conducted on Muslim majority countries such as Malaysia and
Indonesia, while only a few were focused on Muslim minority countries (see,
for example, Bonne et al., 2007; Bonne & Verbeke, 2006, 2008; Bonne,
Vermeir, & Verbeke, 2008; Şahin, Pekkirbizli, Kayser, & Theuvsen, 2014).
Most of the research was in Europe. To date, there has been very little focus
on investigating the determinants of halal food consumption among the
Muslim minorities in Asia.
It is argued that halal food preference is determined by individual attitudes
and expectations from peers (Bonne et al., 2007; Shah Alam & Mohamed
Sayuti, 2011). Soesilowati (2010) argued that consumer behavior toward halal
is also affected by cultural and psychological characteristics. Religious concerns and religious identity can also be contributing factors in consuming
halal products (Bonne et al., 2007; Shaari & Mohd Arifin, 2009).
Given that halal food is marketed using the halal certification label, halal
food labeling is highly important (A Guide to Food Labelling and
Advertisements, 2015; Vijaykumar, Lwin, Chao, & Au, 2013). This study
analyzes the determinant factors of halal food consumption among
Singaporean Muslims in which they are minority. By using the theory of
planned behavior (TPB) by Ajzen (1985, 1991), this study considers three
major factors of TPB and also examines trust, halal certifications, and religious
concerns in the analysis. Further discussion on TPB is in the next section.
4
M. F. ABU-HUSSIN ET AL.
Theoretical framework
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
Theory of planned behavior
To determine consumer behavior toward food selection, the TPB by Ajzen
(1985, 1991) is employed. According to the theory, behavioral intention is
determined by attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control
(beliefs about internal and external barriers that may hinder the behavior to be
performed). An underlying premise for this study is the belief about halal food
purchasing. Past research has suggested different approaches to assessing and
determining an individual intention toward unethical conduct. These can be
found in the theory of reasoned action (TRA) by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975); and
Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) and the TPB (Ajzen, 1985, 1991). These two models
have been extensively utilized to study different behaviors in social psychological
research. The TRA model is concerned with consciously intended behaviors
(Kurland, 1995, p. 58). Although these two models determine different behavioral norms in psychological issues, they have also been applied to examine
ethical and/or moral decision-making, and to examine business ethics as well as
consumer behavior (Arvola et al., 2008; Berg, Jonsson, & Conner, 2000; Bogers
et al., 2004; Dunn, Mohr, Wilson, & Wittert, 2011; Kurland, 1995; Mahon,
Cowan, & McCarthy, 2006; Shepherd et al., 2005; Verbeke & Vackier, 2005;
Vermeir & Verbeke, 2008; White, Terry, Troup, Rempel, & Norman, 2010).
Despite the advantages of using the theory of reasoned action, according to
Kurland (1995), it is limited because of the assumption of volitional control.
Therefore, the concept of perceived behavioral control was introduced to create
the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1991). The theory of planned
behavior was coined by Ajzen (1985, 1991) as an extension of the theory of
reasoned action. His review in 1991 concluded that individual behavior depends
on motivation (intentions) and ability (behavioral control). Intentions are a
function of three determinants, namely, behavioral beliefs (which are assumed
to influence attitudes toward the behavior), normative beliefs (which constitute
the underlying determinants of subjective norms), and control beliefs (which
provide the basis for perceptions of behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991).
These three determinants of behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and perceived behavioral control each contribute to a person’s intention to perform
behavior (see Figure 1 for details). Whereby behavioral beliefs produce favorable and unfavorable attitudes toward behavior, normative beliefs result in
perceived social pressure, and control beliefs give rise to perceived control
behavior (Haron, Ismail, & Razak., 2011). According to Stone, Jawahar, and
Kisamore (2010), the intention to engage in any particular behavior is influenced by three main factors: (a) attitudes toward the behavior (beliefs about a
specific behavior and its consequences), (b) subjective norms (normative
expectations of other people who are important to the specific behavioral
actor), and (c) perceived behavioral control (ease of performing the behavior).
JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING
5
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
Figure 1. Traditional theory of planned behavior—Intention to purchase halal-certified products.
With regard to this research, which evaluates Muslim consumer behavior
toward buying halal foods and products, a modified TPB was employed. As
suggested by Kurland (1995), the modified TPB comprises three elements of
the original TPB with a measurement of moral obligation to predict ethical
intentions. In addition, a separate component of habit is added in this TPB
model. As suggested by Conner and Armitage (1998), habit, a previous
behavior that has become automatic and beyond individual awareness
(Bonne et al., 2007), is a significant measure of the TPB. Several studies on
food-related behavior also included habit as one of the variables in measuring
TPB (Bonne et al., 2007; Honkanen, Olsen, & Verplanken, 2005).
Furthermore, other relevant factors are also identified, which may affect
the proposed modified TPB. Among the proposed factors are demographic
variables, consumer knowledge, trust toward the halal logo, and consumer
level of religiosity. This study is applied to the Muslim minority in Singapore,
most of whom are Malay Muslims and for whom buying products that meet
religious prescriptions can be considered to be an expression of religion.
Therefore, it is argued that the decision to buy halal-certified products would
be significantly influenced by the individual religious identity (Bonne et al.,
2007). In assessing this factor, level of religiosity is included in this framework (Husin & Rahman, 2013). By incorporating all these external factors
next to the original framework of customer intention to purchase halalcertified products, the modified framework seems more suitable for halal
food preferences.
By using the modified TPB, in this study, we predict that Singaporean
Muslim consumer intentions to buy halal foods and products depend on (1)
consumers attitudes toward the halal products/foods, (2) how consumers
perceive that people important to them think they should act, (3) if consumers have control over their decisions, and (4) if the consumer believes
buying halal foods/products is a moral/religious obligation (Razzaque &
Chaudhry, 2013; Swimberghe, Sharma, & Flurry, 2011). Thus we suggest
the following hypotheses:
6
M. F. ABU-HUSSIN ET AL.
H1: There is a significant and positive relationship between attitude and
intention to purchase halal food products.
H2: There is a significant and positive relationship between subjective norms
and intentions to purchase halal food products.
H3: There is a significant and positive relationship between perceived behavior control and intention to purchase halal food products.
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
Methodology
This study employed a survey that was distributed to Singaporean Muslims.
The respondents were randomly selected based on nonprobability basic
sampling, where the respondents did not know whether they would be
selected as a sample subject. A combination of several methods for distributing the questionnaire survey was used, including through the mail and selfadministration.
The survey was designed to quantitatively gauge the level of understanding
of the general halal concept that contributes to Muslim purchasing decisions.
A theory of planned behavior was utilized as the foundation theory in
determining individual preferences toward halal purchase intention among
Muslim consumers. The questions were answered using a 6-point Likert
scale. The six anchors that were used in the questionnaires were (1) strongly
disagree, (2) disagree, (3) fairly disagree, (4) fairly agree, (5) agree, and (6)
strongly agree.
Method
Sample
Cross-sectional data were collected by means of a structured survey in Johor
Bahru and Singapore over multiple days and times of day in April–August
2014. The survey was based on an area sampling technique conducted at
shopping malls, Customs, Immigration, & Quarantine (CIQ) facilities, and
bus terminals in Johor Bahru. The survey was also distributed in shopping
malls, mosques, and MRT stations in Singapore. Johor Bahru was selected
due to its proximity to Singapore. The places selected are among the most
popular areas visited by Singaporean Muslims to purchase relatively cheaper
groceries and goods. In total, 432 surveys were gathered, and 332 were valid
(n = 332). The remaining 100 questionnaires were not properly completed.
The questionnaires were rejected based on incomplete forms (more than five
measures unanswered) and similarity, contradiction, and little variance in
JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING
7
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
answers. Only 332 respondents were used in the analysis. All questions were
self-administered, hence avoiding bias from the interviewer.
Questionnaire and scaling
The survey used a structured questionnaire, which was adopted from various
previous validated instruments (Bonne et al., 2007; Kim, Reicks, & Sjoberg,
2003; Shaari & Mohd Arifin, 2009; Shah Alam & Mohamed Sayuti, 2011). The
questionnaire survey was prepared in two languages (English and Malay); most
Singaporean Muslims speak Malay, although they speak Malay as a second
language while English is their primary business language. Therefore, there
were no significant rejections due to language problems in this study. Items
were constructed and measured according to the proposed model and components of the modified TPB. Behavioral intention was measured by asking, “I will
eat halal food in the next coming days, today included,” with answers on an 8point scale (ranging from 0 to 7) (Bonne et al., 2007, 2008; Conner & Armitage,
1998). The constructs of attitude and subjective norms were assessed with
measures reported by Bonne et al. (2008) and also Maria, Anne, Ulla-Kaisa
Koivisto, Lars, and Per-Olow (2001). The items were modified to assure that
they would be suitable for halal food preferences. For perceived behavior, the
survey was divided into two parts: perceived availability (Verbeke & Vackier,
2005) and perceived price (Bonne et al., 2008; Şahin et al., 2014). The constructs
of attitude (four items), subjective norms (one item), and perceived behavioral
control (three items) and trust (six items; Bonne & Verbeke, 2008) were
measured. Meanwhile, the construct of habit was measured by asking, “Eating
halal food is something that I do without reasoning” (Bonne et al., 2007;
Honkanen et al., 2005), and for trust, six items were included that asked
about the credential of halal certification (Bonne & Verbeke, 2008). In this
study, two halal certifications, Singapore by MUIS and Malaysia by JAKIM,
were the focus. These two halal certification logos were included due to their
familiarity in both countries. All the questions used a 5-point Likert scale, in
which 1 indicated strongly disagree, 2 indicated disagree, 3 indicated neither
agree nor disagree, 4 indicated agree, and 5 indicated strongly agree.
Although the questionnaires were constructed by adopting previously
validated research, they were later subjected to a pretest and validation.
Without the pretest, it would be impossible to determine to what degree
the respondents would understand and accept the questionnaires. The questionnaires were evaluated by a group of experts from academics and practitioners in halal-related business. A pilot test was then carried out by
distributing the questionnaires at a major shopping complex in Johor
Bahru to approximately 30 respondents. Feedback from the pilot test was
then evaluated, and several changes were made to the original questionnaire
to assure that it was reliable for the study.
8
M. F. ABU-HUSSIN ET AL.
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
Method of analysis
Data from the survey were then edited and coded using SPSS version 18.0. The
internal reliability consistency of the multi-item TPB concepts was assessed
using Cronbach’s alpha, mean scores, and standard deviations of all variables.
Further, the analysis included independent samples t tests for comparison of
means, linear correlations, and multiple regressions to examine the determinants of halal food consumption among the Muslim minority in Singapore.
Results
Reliability and multicollinearity tests
The internal reliability of the items was verified by computing Cronbach’s alpha
(Nunnally, 1978). Cronbach’s alpha for attitude was 0.828, perceived behavioral
control was 0.723, behavioral intention scale was 0.771, and trust was 0.842.
Subjective norms and habit were measured using single items. Because the
results from the reliability test showed that the Cronbach’s alpha values for the
measured variables were all much higher than 0.65, the constructs were deemed
to have adequate reliability. As suggested by Nunnally (1978), a minimum alpha
of 0.6 is considered acceptable for early stages of research. Others suggested a
higher cutoff, such as 0.7 and 0.8, for cognitive tests (Kline, 2000) and ability
tests (Field, 2005), respectively. Because the Cronbach’s alpha values for the
measured variables in this study were more than 0.7, the items were accepted as
instruments for the respective variables.
To determine the presence of multicollinearity among independent variables in this study, two major methods were used. First, the measured
independent variables were tested by calculating both the tolerance test and
variation inflation factor (VIF) (Field, 2005). The results for both analyses are
presented in Table 1. The results indicate the following:
(1) None of the tolerance levels is ≤ 0.01
(2) All VIF values are well below 10.
Thus the measures selected for assessing the independent variables in this
study do did not have multicollinearity problems.
Characteristics of the respondents
The characteristics of the respondents in this study are presented in Table 2. It
shows that respondents who completed this survey were mainly women, who
Table 1. Test of collinearity.
ATT-Attitude
SN-Subjective Norm
PBC-Perceived Behavioral Control
Tolerance
.648
.819
.723
VIF
1.543
1.221
1.382
JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING
9
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
Table 2. Demographic characteristics of the sample (n = 332) in percentages.
Item
Gender
Male
Female
Age
18–25
26–35
36–45
46–55
56–65
66 and more
Level of Education
Primary
Secondary
Polytechnic
Junior College
University Graduate
Postgraduate
Others
Household monthly net income
< S$ 1,000
S$ 1,000—S$ 1,999
S$ 2,000—S$ 2,999
S$ 3,000—S$ 3,999
S$ 4,000—S$ 4,999
S$ 5,000—S$ 5,999
> S$6,000
Percentage
47%
53%
34.3%
14.5 %
16.9%
16.6%
12.3%
5.4%
7.2%
39.8%
15.7%
10.5%
15.1%
3.0%
8.7%
13.9%
19.3%
30.1%
11.1%
9.3%
5.1%
7.2%
comprised 53%, slightly higher than the proportion of males (47%). According
to the CIA World Factbook (2015), the proportion of men in Singapore is
slightly lower than women, with a ratio of 0.96 male(s)/female. Thus the
sample contains a representative sample of gender in Singapore. With regard
to age, the majority of our sample consisted of younger respondents (48.8%
were 35 years and below), while 33.5% were middle-aged (36–55 years).
Respondents were mainly literate and benefited from higher education;
44.3% of them held at legast a polytechnic certificate. The majority (74.4%)
of respondents come from low-middle income earners (below S$4000).
Determinants of behavioral intention—Hypothesis testing
In this study, multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the hypothesis
testing. The three proposed relationships were tested, and the results are
presented in Table 3. In this study, three hypotheses were formulated to
assess the strength of the relationship between intention to purchase halalcertified products and three dependent variables (attitude, subjective norms,
and perceived behavioral control). No single variable was removed after
testing reliability, and the hypotheses were tested using a multiple regression
model. For the total sample, attitude toward halal food purchasing, subjective
norms, and perceived control were significant predictors of intention. The
10
M. F. ABU-HUSSIN ET AL.
Table 3. Regression results.
β
Constant
ATT-Attitude
SN-Subjective Norm
PBC-Perceived Behavioral Control
.461
.254
.217
t-Value
3.257
10.098
6.248
5.015
p-value
.001**
.000**
.000**
.000**
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
Notes. Significance at: *p < 0.001; R2 = 0.557, adjusted R2 = .553; dependent variable: intention to purchase
halal-certified products.
regression result is shown in Table 3. The analysis reveals that the three
hypotheses are accepted and significant, that is, the relationship between
attitude (β = 0.461 and p, 0.000), subjective norms on halal-certified products
purchase intention (β = 0.254 and p, 0.000), and perceived behavioral control
on halal-certified products purchase intention (β = 0.217 and p, 0.001).
Discussion
The focus of this study was on investigating customer behavior pertaining to
the purchase intention toward halal-certified products. A regression analysis
was used to predict the “intention to purchase halal-certified products” as the
dependent variable; the independent variables were (a) attitude, (b) subjective
norms, and (c) perceived behavioral control. Using the TPB as the framework, this study shows that the theory of planned behavior could explain
56% of the variance in the intention to purchase halal-certified products
among the Muslim minority in Singapore. In general, halal purchase intention could be determined by a positive attitude, subjective norms, and
perceived control. The TPB model used in this study was also found to be
statistically significant. The findings from this analysis suggest that the TPB is
a robust model in explaining the purchase intention of halal-certified products, as suggested by Shah Alam and Mohamed Sayuti (2011). Few other
studies have also successfully utilized the TPB as a theoretical framework
from which to examine halal purchase intention (Bonne et al., 2007; Bonne &
Verbeke, 2008; Tieman et al., 2013).
Attitude as the first selected TPB variable was able to explain 46% of the
variance in the intention to purchase halal-certified products (β = 0.461;
t = 10.098; p < 0.001). Subjective norms was able to explain 25% of the variance
in the intention to purchase halal-certified products (β = 0.254; t = 6.248;
p < 0.001). Perceived behavioral control was able to explain 21% of the variance
in the intention to purchase halal-certified products (β = 0.217; t = 5.01;
p < 0.001). Thus all variables have a significant relationship with the intention
to purchase halal-certified products, with the highest level of variance being
attitude, followed by subject norms and perceived behavioral control.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING
11
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
Conclusion
This study found a significant relationship between the studied variables
according to three main hypotheses: (a) the relationship between attitude
and intention to purchase halal food products, (b) the relationship between
subjective norms and intention to purchase halal food products, and (c) the
relationship between perceived behavior control and intention to purchase
halal food products. The findings from this study also indicate that these
three components of the TPB are the determinant factors of halal-certified
product purchase intention, as suggested by previous studies (Bonne et al.,
2007; Bonne & Verbeke, 2008; Khalek, 2014; Lada, Harvey Tanakinjal, &
Amin, 2009; Shah Alam & Mohamed Sayuti, 2011; Tieman et al., 2013). This
study successfully revealed the dimension of halal purchase intention by
using the traditional TPB among the Muslim minority in Singapore. It is
suggested that future research should focus on the mediating factors of halal
purchase intention as well as the roles of culture and religious identity in this
interesting community.
ORCID
Mohd Fauzi Abu–Hussin
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4340-4710
Fuadah Johari
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3264-0742
References
A Guide to Food Labelling and Advertisements. (2015). Agri-food and Veterinary, Authority
of Singapore. Retrieved from http://www.ava.gov.sg/docs/default-source/tools-andresources/resources-for-businesses/aguidetofoodlabellingandadvertisementsversionjuly2
Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. In J. Kuhl & J.
Beckmann (Eds.), Action control (pp. 11–39). Berlin, Germany: Springer. doi:10.1007/9783-642-69746-3_2
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human
Decision Processes, 50, 179–211. doi:10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Arvola, A., Vassallo, M., Dean, M., Lampila, P., Saba, A., Lähteenmäki, L., & Shepherd, R.
(2008). Predicting intentions to purchase organic food: The role of affective and moral
attitudes in the theory of planned behaviour. Appetite, 50, 443–454. doi:10.1016/j.
appet.2007.09.010
Berg, C., Jonsson, I., & Conner, M. (2000). Understanding choice of milk and bread for
breakfast among Swedish children aged 11–15 years: An application of the theory of
planned behaviour. Appetite, 34, 5–19. doi:10.1006/appe.1999.0269
Bogers, R. P., Brug, J., Van Assema, P., & Dagnelie, P. C. (2004). Explaining fruit and
vegetable consumption: The theory of planned behaviour and misconception of personal
intake levels. Appetite, 42, 157–166. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2003.08.015
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
12
M. F. ABU-HUSSIN ET AL.
Bonne, K., Iris, V., Florence, B. B., & Verbeke, W. (2007). Determinants of halal meat
consumption in France. British Food Journal, 109, 367–386. doi:10.1108/
0070700710746786
Bonne, K., & Verbeke, W. (2006). Muslim consumers’ attitude towards meat consumption in
Belgium: Insights from a means-end chain approach. Anthropology of Food [Online], 5, 1–
24. http://aof.revues.org/90
Bonne, K., & Verbeke, W. (2008). Muslim consumer trust in halal meat status and control in
Belgium. Meat Science, 79, 113–123. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2007.08.007
Bonne, K., Vermeir, I., & Verbeke, W. (2008). Impact of religion on halal meat consumption
decision making in Belgium. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing, 21,
5–26. doi:10.1080/08974430802480628
Burgmann, T. (2007, July 22). Growing Muslim population pushing companies to produce
products they can eat. The Star. Retrieved from www.thestar.com/Business/article/238551.
Chaudry, M. M., Jackson, M. A., Hussaini, M. M., & Hussaini, M. M. (2000). Halal industrial
production standards. Chicago, IL: J&M Food Products.
Chen, M.-F. (2007). Consumer attitudes and purchase intentions in relation to organic foods
in Taiwan: Moderating effects of food-related personality traits. Food Quality and
Preference, 18, 1008–1021. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2007.04.004
CIA, The World Factbook. (2015, June 24). The world factbook: Singapore. Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn.html
Conner, M., & Armitage, C. J. (1998). Extending the theory of planned behavior: A review
and avenues for further research. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 28, 1429–1464.
doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1998.tb01685.x
Dunn, K. I., Mohr, P., Wilson, C. J., & Wittert, G. A. (2011). Determinants of fast-food
consumption. An application of the theory of planned behaviour. Appetite, 57, 349–357.
doi:10.1016/j.appet.2011.06.004
Emanuel, A. S., McCully, S. N., Gallagher, K. M., & Updegraff, J. A. (2012). Theory of
planned behavior explains gender difference in fruit and vegetable consumption. Appetite,
59, 693–697. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.08.007
Field, A. (2005). Discovering statistics using SPSS: (And sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll) (2nd ed.).
London, UK: Sage.
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to
theory and research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Haron, H., Ismail, I., & Razak., S. H. A. (2011). Factors influencing unethical behavior of
insurance agents. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2, 84–100. http://
ijbssnet.com/journals/Vol._2_No._1;_January_2011/8.pdf
Honkanen, P., Olsen, S. O., & Verplanken, B. (2005). Intention to consume seafood—The
importance of habit. Appetite, 45, 161–168. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2005.04.005
Husin, M. M., & Rahman, A. A. (2013). What drives consumers to participate into family
takaful schemes? A literature review. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 4, 264–280. doi:10.1108/
JIMA-04-2012-0019
Keith, E. T., Nikolaos, H., & Panagiotis, J. A. (1994). Attitudes and food choice behaviour.
British Food Journal, 96(11), 9–13. doi:10.1108/00070709410074632
Khalek, A. A. (2014). Young consumers’ attitude towards halal food outlets and JAKIM’s
halal certification in Malaysia. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 121, 26–34.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1105
Kim, K., Reicks, M., & Sjoberg, S. (2003). Applying the theory of planned behavior to predict
dairy product consumption by older adults. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior,
35, 294–301. doi:10.1016/S1499-4046(06)60343-6
Kline, P. (2000). The handbook of psychological testing. New York, NY: Routledge.
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING
13
Kurland, N. B. (1995). Ethical intentions and the theories of reasoned action and planned
behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25, 297–313. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1995.
tb02393.x
Lada, S., Harvey Tanakinjal, G., & Amin, H. (2009). Predicting intention to choose halal
products using theory of reasoned action. International Journal of Islamic and Middle
Eastern Finance and Management, 2, 66–76. doi:10.1108/17538390910946276
Latif, M. A. (2011, January 24–26). Definition of Halal terms and Malaysia Halal standards
and industries. Paper presented at the First Gulf Conference on Halal Industry and Its
Services, Holiday Inn Hotel, Al-Salmiyah, State of Kuwait.
Lautenschlager, L., & Smith, C. (2007). Understanding gardening and dietary habits among
youth garden program participants using the theory of planned behavior. Appetite, 49,
122–130. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2007.01.002
Leßmann, O., & Masson, T. (2015). Sustainable consumption in capability perspective:
Operationalization and empirical illustration. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental
Economics, 57, 64–72. doi:10.1016/j.socec.2015.04.001
Mahon, D., Cowan, C., & McCarthy, M. (2006). The role of attitudes, subjective norm,
perceived control, and habit in the consumption of ready meals and takeaways in Great
Britain. Food Quality and Preference, 17, 474–481. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2005.06.001
Maria, K. M., Anne, A., Ulla-Kaisa Koivisto, H., Lars, Å., & Per-Olow, S. (2001). Attitudes
towards organic foods among Swedish consumers. British Food Journal, 103, 209–227.
doi:10.1108/00070700110386755
Mathew, V. N., Abdullah, A. M. R. b. A., & Ismail, S. N. b. M. (2014). Acceptance on Halal
food among non-Muslim consumers. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 121, 262–
271. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1127
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Omar, K. M., Mat, N. K. N., Imhemed, G. A., & Ali, F. M. A. (2012, July). The direct effects of
halal product actual purchase antecedents among the international Muslim consumers.
American Journal of Economics, 2, 87–92. doi:10.5923/j.economics.20120001.20
Rahman, I. N. A., Saleh, R., Rahman, S. A., & Hashim, D. M. (2011). factors contributing to
non-compliance of the halal standard among restaurant operators in Malaysia.
International Proceedings of Economics Development & Research, 24, 88. Retrieved from
http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/74297154/factors-contributing-non-compli
ance-halal-standard-among-restaurant-operators-malaysia
Razzaque, M. A., & Chaudhry, S. N. (2013). Religiosity and Muslim consumers’ decisionmaking process in a non-Muslim society. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 4, 198–217.
doi:10.1108/17590831311329313
Robinson, R., & Smith, C. (2002). Psychosocial and demographic variables associated with
consumer intention to purchase sustainably produced foods as defined by the Midwest
food alliance. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 34, 316–325. doi:10.1016/
S1499-4046(06)60114-0
Şahin, A., Pekkirbizli, T., Kayser, M., & Theuvsen, L. (2014). Muslim consumers in Germany:
Awareness and significance of Halal labelling (Muslimische Konsumenten in Deutschland:
Kenntnis und Bedeutung der Halal-Kennzeichnung). Berichte Über Landwirtschaft:
Zeitschrift für Agrarpolitik und Landwirtschaft, 92(2), 1–12. doi:10.12767/buel.v92i2.38.g116
Shaari, J. A. N., & Mohd Arifin, N. S. (2009, September 28–29). Dimension of halal purchase
intention: A preliminary study. Paper presented at the American Business Research
Conference, New York, NY.
Shah Alam, S., & Mohamed Sayuti, N. (2011). Applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB)
in halal food purchasing. International Journal of Commerce and Management, 21, 8–20.
doi:10.1108/10569211111111676
Downloaded by [Weill Cornell Medical College] at 11:45 30 July 2016
14
M. F. ABU-HUSSIN ET AL.
Shepherd, R., Sparks, P., & Guthrie, C. A. (2005). The application of the theory of planned
behaviour to consumer food Choice. In F. Hansen (Ed.), European advances in consumer
research (vol. 2, pp. 360–365). Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research.
Soesilowati, E. S. (2010, January). Business opportunities for Halal products in the global
market: Muslim consumer behaviour and halal food consumption. Journal of Indonesian
Social Sciences and Humanities, 3, 151–160.
Sparks, P., & Shepherd, R. (1992). Self-identity and the theory of planned behavior: Assessing
the role of identification with “green consumerism.” Social Psychology Quarterly, 55, 388–
399. doi:10.2307/2786955
Stephenson, M. L. (2014). Deciphering “Islamic hospitality”: Developments, challenges and
opportunities. Tourism Management, 40, 155–164. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2013.05.002
Stone, T. H., Jawahar, I. M., & Kisamore, J. L. (2010). Predicting academic misconduct
intentions and behavior using the theory of planned behavior and personality. Basic and
Applied Social Psychology, 32, 35–45. doi:10.1080/01973530903539895
Swimberghe, K. R., Sharma, D., & Flurry, L. W. (2011). Does a consumer’s religion really
matter in the buyer–seller dyad? An empirical study examining the relationship between
consumer religious commitment, Christian conservatism and the ethical judgment of a
seller’s controversial business decision. Journal of Business Ethics, 102, 581–598.
doi:10.1007/s10551-011-0829-6
Tieman, M., Ghazali, M. C., & Vorst, J. G. A. J. v. D. (2013). Consumer perception on halal
meat logistics. British Food Journal, 115, 1112–1129. doi:10.1108/BFJ-10/2011-0265
Verbeke, W., & Vackier, I. (2005). Individual determinants of fish consumption: Application
of the theory of planned behaviour. Appetite, 44, 67–82. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2004.08.006
Vermeir, I., & Verbeke, W. (2008). Sustainable food consumption among young adults in
Belgium: Theory of planned behaviour and the role of confidence and values. Ecological
Economics, 64, 542–553. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.03.007
Vijaykumar, S., Lwin, M. O., Chao, J., & Au, C. (2013). Determinants of food label use among
supermarket shoppers: A Singaporean perspective. Journal of Nutrition Education and
Behavior, 45, 204–212. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2012.09.001
White, K. M., Terry, D. J., Troup, C., Rempel, L. A., & Norman, P. (2010). Predicting the
consumption of foods low in saturated fats among people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
and cardiovascular disease. The role of planning in the theory of planned behaviour.
Appetite, 55, 348–354. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2010.07.011
Wu, Y., Yang, Y., & Chiu, C.-Y. (2014). Responses to religious norm defection: The case of
Hui Chinese Muslims not following the halal diet. International Journal of Intercultural
Relations, 39, 1–8. doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2013.08.008