A Proposed Conceptual Framework for Blockchain Technology in Halal Food Product Verification

Abstract

Despite rooted from Islamic needs, Halal certification also attracts both Muslims and non-Muslims. In fact, the non-Muslim players are the ones dominating the industry. It is widely known that Halal food chain is quite vulnerable due to complications in maintaining Halal integrity, the necessity to prevent doubtful materials, lack of control of food norms, and the importance to retain high quality. The presence of Halal certification is a form of consumer protection and therefore, the integrity of Halal certification must be carefully monitored. There are some Halal violation cases and this can potentially affect the reputation of the Halal food products. Therefore, it is important to develop a system that integrates a verifiable, open, and safe shared database that is not run by a centralized operator. Blockchain technology is the one that offers such. The study presents a framework for blockchain technology for Halal product verification for manufactured food products. The results are desired to help the food industry players in maintaining a system that can improve the transparency and the integrity of their Halal food chain. The system also intends to ensure the affordability and accessibility of Halal certification for as many industry players as possible as blockchain technology is believed to remove the complications in the certification process and reduce paperwork related cost.