Unveiling Barriers: A Qualitative Study on Halal Certification for SMFEs in Penang

Promoted by both Multi-National Companies (MNCs) and Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Malaysia's Halal industry is flourishing, contributing billions of RM to the nation's economy and proving its potential for further growth. However, unlike MNCs, most Small-Medium Food Enterprises (SMFEs) face numerous challenges in obtaining Halal certification. As a result, this study aimed to investigate the difficulties experienced by SMFEs that have successfully acquired Halal certification. Using a qualitative approach, detailed face-to-face interviews were conducted with the aid of semi-structured questionnaires and audio recorders to achieve the study's objective of identifying the barriers to Halal certification faced by SMFEs. The research focused on Penang state, where the population of Halal-certified SMFEs was sourced from and screened by Jabatan Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (JAIPP), resulting in a vetted list of 25 potential respondents. Interviews were conducted with 12 respondents until data saturation was reached. The recorded audio data was transcribed, and the transcripts were analyzed using ATLAS.ti software. Demographic data underwent frequency analysis, while thematic analysis was applied to the transcribed data, generating nine codes, which were graphically represented by their relative themes and networks. The findings of this study, particularly the developed model, offer valuable insights into the issues at hand and could potentially assist SMFEs in achieving Halal certification successfully.