Author(s): Wildan Fajar Bachtiar, Nur Aini Masruroh, Anna Maria Sri Asih
Purpose: Food safety traceability issues have developed to become important due to present consumers being more concerned about the quality of edible material. This is because these consumers are more knowledgeable in regularly selecting and buying food for consumption, leading to the concerns of the ingredients and curiosity on all the activities involved within the supply chain (primary production, processing, distribution, retail to the consumer). To have the ability in tracking products and retrieving product-related information, food manufacturers should continuously obtain data and trace movements throughout all stages of the supply chain. This indicates that the methodology for analyzing foodstuffs with information technology systems is fundamental in producing an effective tracking and tracing structure. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the perception of consumers, including the supply chain actors, on the importance of a traceability system.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were obtained from 262 Halal food consumers in Indonesia and analyzed using the PLS-SEM method. Also, some analytical techniques data were obtained using exploratory information. The novelty in this study was to determine the acceptance and preference of sustainable traceability of halal food consumers in Indonesia. This precisely determined the essential sustainability and traceability factors for these consumers.
Findings: The results showed a mediating role within the halal supply chain and traceability system variables, while preference was not observed with such responsibility. Besides the evaluation of direct and indirect relationships, comparisons were also conducted on the differences in gender and age groups, which were subsequently divided into several main categories.
Practical implications: This study showed that traceability system and halal supply chain implementations were significant predictors for the Indonesian Muslim communities. However, non-Muslim countries did not concentrate much to these aspects due to different levels of understanding.
Originality/value: The results indicated that the halal supply chain and traceability system were significant predictors for the Indonesian people, which were primarily Islamic. This was based on the integration of these aspects at a relatively low cost, compared to other countries requiring high expenses due to the production of non-halal products. The application of the MGA-Analysis technique was further conducted in this study, indicating an interesting finding that the acceptance of male respondents was based on preference. Also, respondents aged 41-50 agreed that traceability implementation was essential for acceptance within their category. This study is expected to make a practical and academic contribution to business actors in the Halal Industry and further future reports.