Halal food industry certification and operation challenges and manufacturing execution system opportunities. A review study from Malaysia

Abstract

The food industry has been widely regarded as an effective sector due to its contribution to the national economy, job creation, and people's welfare. Malaysia as one effective country in the food industry and leading country in Halal food brand emphasized the importance of food quality in both operation and supply chain. Despite the importance of the Halal food industry to countries' economy including Malaysia, this industry is facing multiple challenges. In addition, halal food literature still in the infant stage despite the rapid growth of this important industry. Therefore, this review study aims to identify the challenges that surrounded the Halal industry worldwide generally and Malaysian firms particularly. This study also aims to identify the potential solution to overcome Halal food challenges. The finding of this study uncovers multiple challenges surrounded the Halal food industry in operation, marketing, and certification processes. This study also suggests that the application of the manufacturing execution system can bring a new insight to overcome Halal food challenges. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a clear understanding of Halal food industry operation and certification and their challenges and explains how MES can improve the efficiency of this industry.