Knowledge of Prophetic Food Consumption in Malaysia: Halal, Health Benefits and Practices

Food-purchasing behavior among Muslims is influenced by religiousness, religious education and the halal status of the food. Apart from that, the practice of consuming prophetic food which is highly nutritious is not fully understood by the community. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge on halal concepts and health benefits of prophetic foods mainly dates and goat’s milk along with its practices among the Muslim community in a rural village in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. In April 2014, a cross-sectional study on a sample of 162 community members was conducted. The sample was selected using simple random sampling, and information was elicited through face-to-face interviews using validated, self-constructed questionnaire. Data were then analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21.0. Majority of the respondents were females (57.4 %). Their mean age was 44.05 years. This study found that the respondents had good knowledge on halal concept with moderate knowledge on the benefits of prophetic foods. The respondents reported that dates were on sale throughout the year and the prices were affordable. However, fresh goat’s milk was not easily available at all time and the smell was unpleasant. In conclusion, promoting halal food as safe food and prophetic foods as good nutritious foods can increase the level of knowledge on its health benefits among community members.