A study of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among Malay Muslim youths and young adults towards halal/haram issues in junk food products / Bizura Azira Mohd Roby

In Malaysia, food industry has been the vital and major contributor to the overall national economic development. With the fusion of rich cultural and social diversity in Malaysia, it is understandable when issues relating to Halal food is claimed to be a major concern among Malaysian people, especially when food industry in the country is largely controlled by non-Muslim producers and manufacturers. Furthermore, with the rapid development of junk food industry in Malaysia, many people wonder how much the available junk food products in our country are permissible to be consumed by a Muslim. Indeed, it is important for Muslim consumers to fully understand and aware about this issue. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of Malay Muslim youths and young adults on Halal and Haram issue in junk food products. A survey was conducted in Kota Bharu, Kelantan where 400 respondents were given out a set of questionnaire consisting of 28 questions. The results was analyzed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program software version 18. Demographic statistic was used to identify the socio-economic demographic characteristics of respondents. The Chi-square test was used to identify the association between various demographic variables with the respondents' level of knowledge, attitude and practice. The results revealed that majority of the respondents were demonstrating moderate knowledge in the issue related to Halal and Haram in junk food products with good attitude and practice towards the issue.