Students’ Understanding of Halal Symbols and Their Impact on Halal Food Consumption
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28918/9kq52e08Keywords:
Students’ understanding, halal symbols, halal food, consumption, SDN Karangtengah Baru Wonosari.Abstract
This research examines elementary school students’ understanding of halal symbols and analyses how this understanding influences their halal food consumption behaviour. The research addresses an important gap in halal consumer studies, which have focused mainly on adults while overlooking children as active and independent consumers. Using a qualitative research design, the study was conducted at SDN Karangtengah Baru Wonosari, Indonesia, involving elementary school students as primary participants, supported by contextual data from teachers and parents. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, non-participant observations, and document analysis to capture students’ symbolic literacy, decision-making processes, and real-life consumption practices. The findings reveal that most students demonstrate strong visual recognition of the halal logo and associate it with food permissibility. However, their understanding remains mainly superficial, as many students lack knowledge of the certification process, institutional authority, and the ethical principles underlying halal assurance. This limited comprehension affects consumption behaviour, particularly when food products lack clear halal labelling. Students with a more profound understanding of halal symbols show greater consistency in selecting halal-certified foods and exhibit more cautious behaviour toward ambiguous products. In contrast, those with a lower level of understanding rely heavily on taste, peer influence, and convenience. The study concludes that understanding halal symbols plays a significant role in shaping halal food consumption behaviour among elementary school students. These findings highlight the importance of integrating structured, application-oriented halal education into early schooling to strengthen functional halal literacy. The study contributes to halal consumer behaviour literature by emphasising children’s symbolic understanding as a meaningful determinant of ethical consumption practices from an early age.
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