Importance of halal food knowledge and information analysis for millennials in virtual communities in Indonesia

Abstract

The present work aimed to analyse millennial knowledge on the concept of halal food, the information and themes related to halal food needs, the importance of halal food for millennials, and the role of opinion leaders in disseminating halal food information in virtual communities. Virtual ethnographic methods were employed to explore the interactions in virtual environments. It was found that millennials’ knowledge on halal food was highly diverse. Specifically, their understanding was divided into two groups: the first group believed that halal food was defined by its raw materials or ingredients, while the second group considered that halal food was not only associated with Sharia-verified materials or ingredients, but also included all processes from production to consumption. The halal food information that millennials sought included new and viral food products, food ingredient information, halal-certified products, and critical points of halal food. The present work also identified the presence of opinion leaders in sharing halal food information, since they affected the flow of information by organising, filtering, and evaluating halal food information for millennials in virtual communities.