Does the country of origin of a halal logo matter? The case of packaged food purchases

This paper aims to model consumers’ decision to use halal logo on packaged food products. The model primarily tests the importance of country of origin (COO) of a halal logo as an indicator for assessing credibility of a halal logo, and its relevance in consumers’ decision to use the logo in packaged food purchase.

A data set from a survey of 559 respondents from two countries was used to test eight hypotheses that were developed based on a modified theory of planned behaviour framework, using partial least squares procedures.

Halal certification logo was found to have COO effect on consumers’ evaluation during purchase decision of food items. Consumer uses information on the COO of a halal logo to assess the logo’s credibility in delivering the halal food standard. The construct, along with the constructs of religiosity and its interaction terms, subjective norms and attitude, explains consumers’ intention to consider the halal logo during packaged food purchase.

Generalization of the findings is limited to the packaged food industry and to the consumer groups surveyed in the two countries.

There is a need for marketers to recognize Muslim consumers’ sensitivity towards the origin of a halal logo in choosing the right logo for their products. Logo certifiers may want to consider adopting marketing strategies to market their certification as a credible marker of a halal food standard.

The effect of COO of halal logo and its influence on consumers’ decision to use the logo in purchase decision are new to the literature.