Understanding the Halal Concept and the Importance of Information on Halal Food Business Needed by Potential MalaysianEntrepreneurs

The wholesomeness concept of Halal, which covers not only the Shariah requirement, but also the sustainability concept of hygiene, sanitation and safety aspect, makes Halal food readily acceptable by consumers who are concerned about food safety and healthy life style. Realizing that, small entrepreneurs take advantage of business opportunities in the Halal industry to reap the benefits of increasing profits for Halal food areas that have great potential to generate income. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify whether respondents understand the concept of halal-based business and to examine the important information needed by them in venturing into halal food business. Questionnaires were sent out to a total of 60 potential entrepreneurs who attended a three-month entrepreneurship course conducted by the Malaysian Academy of SME and Entrepreneurship Development of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Results showed that respondents’ understanding on halal concept is high as indicated by overall mean score of 4.52. Besides, respondents have positive behavior towards Halal products (mean=4.58). Furthermore, information on Halal food production, preparation, handling and storage are the most important information needed by the respondents. Therefore, Halal governing body must ensure that all the information pertaining to Halal-based business can be accessed easily in order to fulfil the entrepreneurs’ information needs.