Trust Architecture in Integrated Halal Logistics: A Study of the Meat Cold Chain Distribution in Pekalongan, Central Java
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28918/jhc.v1i2.15276Abstract
Indonesia’s position as the world’s largest Muslim-majority country places halal product integrity at the intersection of religious obligation, consumer rights, and institutional governance. However, trust, as a structural construct that bridges halal normative compliance and cold chain technical requirements, remains undertheorized in the halal logistics literature, particularly in the context of mid-sized Indonesian cities. This study examines the architecture of trust in integrated halal logistics, focusing on cold-chain meat distribution in Pekalongan, Central Java. Employing a qualitative instrumental case study design, this research conducted in-depth interviews with 24 purposively selected informants comprising slaughterhouse operators, cold storage managers, distributors, traditional and modern market retailers, regional halal certification officials, and Muslim consumers. Data were analyzed using a six-stage thematic analysis in NVivo 14, with credibility ensured through methodological triangulation and member checking. The findings reveal a multilayered trust architecture comprising three interdependent dimensions: transactional trust grounded in halal certification and regulatory compliance, relational trust embedded in long-term trade relationships and shared Islamic values, and institutional trust anchored in the legitimacy of halal oversight bodies. The study further identifies five critical trust points where halal integrity and cold chain compliance are most concurrently vulnerable. Most significantly, a substantial institutional trust asymmetry between the Halal Product Assurance Agency and the Indonesian Ulema Council persists at the grassroots level, demonstrating that formal legal authority alone cannot reconstruct socially embedded trust. Theoretically, this research introduces the trust architecture as an integrative construct that synthesizes technical logistics governance with halal normative frameworks. In practice, the findings inform strategic interventions to strengthen Indonesia’s national halal cold chain distribution ecosystem.
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