Anti-consumption, halal brand avoidance and halal brand hate in a multicultural society

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the antecedents of anti-consumption toward Halal branded foods (by non-Muslims) and empirically investigate a much-neglected area, that is, consumer behavior of majority ethnic groups (MajEGs) toward the products of minority ethnic groups (MinEGs). Design/methodology/approach This quantitative survey-based study collects data from the USA non-Muslims (n = 285) using validated scales. The theoretical underpinning of this study rests in the theory of anti-consumption. Structural equation modelling was used through Smart PLS. Findings It was found that Halal brand avoidance (HBA) among non-Muslims is the result of moral identity (β = 0.33), deficit value avoidance (β = 0.23) and experiential avoidance (β = 0.27). However, Halal brand hate (HBH) is the result of identity avoidance (β = 0.62) and experiential avoidance (β = 0.18). Research limitations/implications Data collection is confined to a single country. Future researchers may explore cross-cultural analysis across diverse Western countries. Practical implications The results of this study will guide Halal food marketers of western countries on how to market Halal food products and deal with ongoing anti-consumption. Social implications These findings have opened new horizons for marketing researchers by focusing on intercultural relations and their implications for the modern multicultural world, especially with perspective of marketing. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the earlier studies that empirically examines Halal as a brand among non-Muslims.