International Journal of Business and Management; Vol. 7, No.

20; 2012
ISSN 1833-3850 E-ISSN 1833-8119
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education

The Influence of Socio-cultural Variables on Consumers’ Perception

of Halal Food Products: A Case of Masvingo Urban, Zimbabwe
Munyaradzi Mutsikiwa1 & Clay Hutama Basera1
1
Department of Marketing, Great Zimbabwe University, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
Correspondence: Munyaradzi Mutsikiwa, Department of Marketing, Great Zimbabwe University, Masvingo,
Zimbabwe. Tel: 263-77-320-6114. E-mail: munyamutsikiwa@gmail.com

Received: July 2, 2012 Accepted: August 27, 2012 Online Published: October 16, 2012
doi:10.5539/ijbm.v7n20p112 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v7n20p112

Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of socio-cultural variables on consumers’ perception on
halal food products (food prepared according to Islamic dietary laws). We assume that a number of socio-cultural
factors affect consumers’ purchase of food products especially education, religion, occupation and social
stratification. As the Halal principles are taken from the Syariah law (Law of Islam), how do consumers in
Masvingo, Zimbabwe view the food products that are prepared under Islamic dietary laws? This study was
rekindled by the contention that Zimbabwe is largely a Christian country and may prefer to be guided by
Christian values founded on Biblical laws. We had four hypotheses which were tested using Spearman’s rank
correlation coefficient. The results revealed that indeed socio-cultural factors have little or no influence on an
individual consumer’s perception on consumption of halal certified food products. However, it was found out
that the Islamic consumers and other religious groups other than protestant, catholic, baptist and apostolic are
highly sensitive to their socio-cultural orientations.
Keywords: socio-culture, culture, subculture, religion, halal, consumer perception
1. Introduction
The Zimbabwean culture is likened to a bowl of salads as it is adorned by individuals and groups of people with
diverse and largely dynamic backgrounds. It is this dynamism in culture that is fast driving and reshaping
consumer perceptions on consumption habits. Food preference has since time immemorial been directly
influenced by the religious orientation of people and such has been the case with Halal foods. The Moslem
culture is part of a large macro-culture that has drastically changed the manner in which food has been
considered as permissible or unacceptable for consumption. Thus marketers, especially for convenient food
products are fast embracing this emerging cultural force by becoming Halal sensitive. The question which will
then arise is: Is Zimbabwe, a predominantly Christian nation being easily dragged into unconditionally accepting
and appreciating the Moslem dietary guidelines, considering that the Moslems constitute only 3% of the
Zimbabwean population, a very meagre representation compared to a 70% (seventy percent) for Christians and
the balance practise traditional African religions (http://churchmousec.wordpress)?
It is a common practice for most countries to have a regulatory framework regarding the necessary standards to
be observed and implemented by the food industries in processing their food products. However, though
Zimbabwe does not have clear cut guidelines, it is still imperative for it to follow and align itself to international
standards so that it can effectively cater for the diverse needs of the local and international markets. The
emergence of Islamic dietary laws in Zimbabwe arose as a result of the need for organisations like Cold Storage
Commission (CSC) to engage into exportation of its beef products to Islamic countries. While this move yielded
positive results for the company, it sparked furore among the predominantly Christian Zimbabwean population.
This outcry led the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) in 1997 to mediate and mandate that all meat be
labelled halal and non-halal but this did not augur well with the Zimbabwe Council of Islamic Scholars (ZCIS)
who threatened to withdraw their licences from CSC if it were to operate both halal and non-halal abattoirs.
Regardless of all the foregoing events the Halal practices have slowly infiltrated the entire food market, as
evidenced by many big companies who have gone halal by implementing the Islamic guidelines of food
preparation. Amongst these players that have embraced this practice include: Suncrest, Irvines, KFC, Chicken
Inn, Nandos, Food Express, and Unilever. Therefore this paper seeks to investigate the impact of socio-cultural

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variables on the consumers’ perception on halal food products.

2. Literature Review
2.1 Socio-culture
According to Murphy (1985) as quoted by Page and Connell (2009) it is difficult to separate the two terms social
and cultural elements hence the term socio-cultural tends to be used frequently in literature. Socio-culture entails
social and cultural factors that influence the buying behaviour of consumers and are inclusive of culture, religion,
language, social class, reference group, family, demographics (age, sex, education, occupation, income and
marital status) and geography (Schiffman, Kanuk and Hansen, 2008). In analysing the social-cultural context of
business that impact on consumer perception of halal it is essential to recognize that societies and cultures are
not homogeneous and/or fixed although a change in one heavily affects the other
(www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/orc/wetherly_otter/). Thus people in a society with similar social statuses,
occupation, education and religious orientation are bound to have beliefs, norms, values and behaviours that
portray uniformity. It is against this background of inseparability between society and culture that the researchers
decided to focus on how the following key socio-cultural variables influence consumers’ perception on the
consumption of halal food products.
2.2 Culture
Culture has, is and will play a significant role in the way consumers behave towards food products in any given
market. Thus it can influence consumers to buy or not to buy certain food products as it sets acceptable standards.
Many researchers and anthropologists have coined the various definitions of culture as exemplified by Kottak
(2009) and Hofstede (1980) who view culture as a collective programming of the mindset of a specific group of
people which differentiates it from another group of people. These differences are defined through knowledge,
beliefs, arts, morals, customs and any other material variables. However, Blackwell et al (2006) refer to culture
“… as a set of values, ideas, artefacts and other meaningful symbols that help individuals communicate, interpret
and evaluate as members of society. Thus culture is viewed as a blue print or basis for human activity, shaping
the coordinates of social action and productivity.” In a similar definition culture is regarded as a set of acquired
behaviour patterns transmitted symbolically through language and other means to members of a particular
society. However Schiffman and Kanuk (2010) view culture as being built on three significant pillars: beliefs,
values and customs. They believe that these variables are key to influencing the consumer behaviour of a
particular society. Beliefs are essentially dominant influences on an individual’s assessment of a brand to
purchase. Values are believed to derive their being from the belief system and are usually enduring and difficult
to change. Customs are overt modes of behaviour that constitute culturally approved or acceptable ways of
behaving in specific situations (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2010).
Considering that societies are complex and multidimensional, it is difficult to give an unambiguous definition of
the term culture (Baugardener, 2009). Therefore from this perspective culture may generally be referred to as
“…the social roles, norms and values and practices that are universally acceptable and shared by a social group
and/or society and are transmitted across generations”. Thus in a macro or national culture differences may be
apparent for both large and small groups of people. Commonalities in national heritage, language, ethnicity, race,
age, gender, geographic location and historical events are among many variables that impact on cultural diversity
among many nations. Even within a nation like Zimbabwe the above highlighted factors may contribute to local
and regional variations in culture resulting in scenarios where cultures are produced within cultures.
According to Schiffman, Kanuk, and Hansen (2008) anthropologists have identified three distinct forms of
cultural learning viz, formal learning in which adults and older siblings teach young family members how to
behave, informal learning which entails that a child learns primarily by imitating behaviour of selected adults
such as family, friends, television heroes and technically through direct contact with teachers in a classroom
environment, where they are taught what should be done, the manner in which it should be done and above all
the reasons for which it should be done. Culture may also be learnt through acculturation, a phenomenon which
engages people into learning or acquiring new or foreign culture. The learning process has a significant bearing
on an individual consumers’ perception about a specific food stimulus regardless of their genes or physical
appearance. True culture is one that is manifested through sharing. Culture has evolved overtime and is still
evolving and this dynamism has created challenges for the marketing of food products. This is necessitated by
the changes in tastes and preferences, technology, changing values and customs borrowed from other cultures.
2.3 Subcultures
Members of a particular subculture have similar beliefs, values, customs and norms that distinguish them from

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other member of the same society. However, these adhere also to the mainstream cultural beliefs, values and
behavioural pattern of the larger society. Schiffman et al (2008) view subculture as a separate cultural group that
exists as an autonomous and identifiable segment within a larger more complex society. A subculture is
characterised by the unique beliefs, values, and customs subscribed to by members of a specific subculture yet
the core cultural themes are normally shared by most of the population regardless of specific subculture
memberships.
2.4 Social class
The concept of social class is used to assign individuals or members of a family to a social class category. Kotler
and Armstrong (2010) define social class as a relatively permanent homogenous socio-economic division or
group in society with people sharing similar values, social statuses, lifestyles, income levels, interests and
behaviour. Social stratification is dependent on a number of demographic variables such as occupation, income,
education among others. In another definition Schiffman et al (2008) consider social class as the categorisation
of the members of society into a hierarchy of distinct status classes, such that members of the same class have
similar status and that members belonging to other classes have either more or less status. Empirical research has
often shown that to a greater extent persons belonging to the same social class exhibit common values, attitudes,
beliefs and buying behaviour although they may have different perceptions.
2.5 Education
Education allows individuals to develop knowledge, skills and beliefs with regards to the food choices and at the
same time creates restrictions on the consumption of certain food products (Colnan, 1990). Education is a
socio-cultural imperative which can be acquired formally or informally. Formally, education may be acquired
through learning, training and experience. Education can also be acquired incidentally, that is it can be acquired
by accident or without much effort through interaction with family members, friends, peers, living in different
countries and contact with different people. From a marketing perspective consumer education is acquired
through advertising and direct contact with the brand. It may also come into being as consumers get exposure to
different cultures during their travel where culture transfer takes place. This socio-cultural variable has a
significant bearing on consumer’s perception with regards to the purchase of certain food products.
2.6 Occupation
It is defined by unequal access to desirable resources (money, services and goods) or personal gratification such
as prestige or respect. Weber argued that social class is defined by differentiated wealth, political power and an
individual status and these are believed to exert different attitudes towards the consumption of certain food
products (Encyclopaedia of Food and Culture, 2003). Occupation is a key determinant of an individual
consumer’s income. Occupation not only represents prestige but also structures time and constraints the attention
that can be given to food. Occupation-generated hours and lifestyle choices affect what is eaten as well as where
and with whom food is eaten.
2.7 Religion
The word religion is derived from a Latin word “religare” which signifies “to tie or to bind.” Wallace, A. F. C. as
quoted by Kottak (2009) defines religion as a belief or ritual concerned with supernatural beings, powers and
forces. Religiosity is the degree to which an individual is committed to his/her religion (Mokhlis, 2006), thus it
has a bearing on an individual consumer’s perception and ultimate behaviour towards food. Delener, (1994) and
Pettinger, (2004) also confirm that an individual consumer’s purchase behaviour is determined by his/her
religious affiliation which governs what a consumer is allowed to consume or viceversa. The Zimbabwean
culture is dominated by a Christian religion and other minority religions. The Islamic religion is not consistent
with Christianity as it does not recognise and accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God and does not believe in the
use of the Holy Bible, which is the Word of God. Secondly, Islam requires obedience based on the detailed laws
and regulations enshrined in the Quran and yet Christianity is believed as a free gift that came into being as a
result of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians view the acceptance of Halal practices as
submitting to the Islamic Syari’a and to Allah. This explains why Zimbabwean Christians in 1996 did not easily
yield to Halal practices as it was viewed as a way to press their religious ideology through the provision of halal
meat.
2.8 Halal
Halal food products have recently dominated the world market as standards for safety and best quality. This is
evidenced by the proliferation of halal certified products found on most shelves of both muslim and non-muslim
countries. In most cases acceptance of halal food practices is largely due to the wholesomeness of the halal

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concept, but in Zimbabwe it was due to the need to enter into the Arabian beef market. However the practice has
slowly permeated into the local market due to indiscriminate importation of food products from other Southern
African Countries such as South Africa as a result of an economic crisis that besieged Zimbabwe a few years ago.
Halal is commonly used to refer the muslim dietary guidelines that stipulate what is permissible or allowed for
human consumption. It is an all encompassing term that governs all forms of behaviour, be it political, social or
economic (www.strictlyhalal.com). Golnaz et al (2010) stress that the halal concept emphasises safety, hygiene
and wholesomeness which creates an excellent platform for healthy and safety of food. Wahab (2004) defines
Halal as a general term which means permitted, allowed, authorized, approved, sanctioned, lawful, legal,
legitimate or licit. The word ‘Food for Muslims’ or ‘Food certified Halal’ or having similar meanings can be
defined as follows: anything not contaminated or made in part by substances derived from animals which are not
allowed to be consumed by the Muslims or not containing substances which are declared as filth to Islamic laws.
During preparation, the food should not be processed by the use of equipment deemed filth by the law. The main
source of the Islamic Law is Al-Quran and all rules are also Allah’s Law. This is opposed to Christianity where
all rules are taken from the Holy Bible which is God’s Law (Wahab, 2004). The fundamental difference between
the two religions is their beliefs in Allah (for Muslims) or God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
(for Christians).
2.9 Consumer Perception
There are several definitions of consumer perception some which have a biological perspective and others have a
consumer behaviour orientation. Biological definitions only concentrate on the use of an individual’s sense
organs (eye, ear, skin, nose and tongue). The consumer behaviour perspective goes beyond as it also
encompasses the individual’s understanding of the environment to fit his/her situation. From a consumer
behaviour perspective Schiffman et al (2008) define perception as a process by which an individual selects,
organises, and interprets sensory stimuli to get a better understanding of the world. This psychological variable
poses challenges in that two or more individuals subjected to the same stimuli may have varying deductions that
seek to satisfy an individual’s personal needs, beliefs and expectations. In the same vein individuals may have
the same socio-cultural orientations but their interpretation of stimuli (halal food products) may be different.
3. Research Hypotheses
Socio-culture is a fundamental phenomenon which manifests itself through a variety of variables such as values,
norms, beliefs, artefacts, religion, education, social stratification, occupation, behaviour and traditions. In this
particular study our main focus was on how education, religion, occupation and social stratification impact on
the individual consumers’ perception on the consumption of the halal food products.
Education is one of the socio-cultural factors that have a fundamental influence on an individual consumer’s
choice of food (Hupkens, Knibbe & Drop, 2000). The rationale behind this statement is founded on the
contention that education opens a variety of avenues to food access. In addition to that the social diffusion theory
assumes that consumers who are highly educated are generally more innovative and as such take up new
innovations faster than less educated consumers (Rogers, 1995). In light of the above we coin our first
hypothesis:
H1: The level of education of an individual consumer is positively related to his/her perception of halal food
products.
Religion has a strong bearing on consumer behaviour and behaviour in general, especially in decisions to
purchase food related products (Delener, 1994 and Pettinger, 2004). According to Schiffman and Kanuk (2010),
an individual’s decision to buy is dependent on his/her religious background, thus religion determines the pattern
of food consumption and therefore may restrict the consumption of certain types of foods. For instance Jews are
prohibited from eating pork, Hindus from eating beef while Christians are expected to refrain from eating certain
meat products as quoted in Deuteronomy 14: 3-8.
“3Do not eat any detestable thing. 4These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5the deer, the
gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.a 6You may eat any animal that
has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. 7However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split
hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. b Although they chew the cud, they do
not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8The pig is also unclean; although it has a split
hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.”
From the ongoing discussions it is evident that religiosity may influence various aspects of the choice behaviour
of affiliate members by the rules and taboos it inspires (Terpestra and David, 1991). Hence our second

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hypothesis is:
H2: An individual consumer’s religion has a positive relationship with his/her perception about halal food
products.
Occupation provides status and income and above all, the type of work one does and the kind of individuals’ one
works with over a relatively long period of time directly impact on one’s values and lifestyles and all aspects
related to the consumption process (Hawkins and Mothersbaugh, 2010). Studies in the American market have
shown that there are differences in consumption between occupational classes for such products as detergents,
beer, food, shampoo, and paper towels. In the same vein job incumbents who occupy different positions have the
propensity to have varying perception on consumption of certain food products. Therefore our third hypothesis
is:
H3: There is a positive correlation between occupation and an individual’s perception on consumption of halal
food products.
According to Assael (1995), social class status is likely to indicate common values and similar purchasing
patterns. Studies have shown that individuals in the upper middle class emphasise on education, are fashion
oriented and are less likely to be brand loyal as compared to other groups. Similarities in norms, values and
purchasing patterns per social stratum therefore serve as a frame of reference for consumer purchase behaviour
and perception of certain food products. It is against this background that we postulate our fourth hypothesis
that:
H4: There is a positive correlation between a social class category and the individual’s perception on
consumption of halal food products.
4. Methodology
The research employed a descriptive survey research design as it afforded the researchers the priviledge to
establish the existing relationship between socio-cultural variables and individual consumers’ perceptions of
halal food products. This research adopted a two-pronged approach to sampling. Research subjects were entirely
chosen on the basis of the researchers’ convenience and personal judgement since most individuals we
interviewed in shopping malls are potential consumers of halal and/or non halal foods. The sample constituted 80
people (45 females and 35 males). These were drawn from shopping malls around Masvingo urban.
We based our research on one set of structured questionnaire which was divided into four socio-cultural
constituent parts namely education, religion, occupation and social stratification. The questionnaires were
personally administered by researchers. We also employed the five point Likert scale where respondents were
asked to rate each identified socio-cultural variables’ influence on an individual consumer’s perception of halal
food products. Pretesting of the questionnaire was done with 8 people (which constituted 10 percent of the
sample population) at Chesvingo and Yeukai shopping malls. This gave the researchers an opportunity to
fine-tune the wording of the questions.
For the simple rationale that the research sought to establish the relationship between socio-cultural variables and
perception of halal foods, Spearman’s rank correlation was adopted as it best measures the strength of a
relationship between two variables in which one would have an effect on the other. The model is presented
below:
6 d 2

r 1
n ( n 2  1)
Where: d = difference in ranks; n = number of observations
5. Research Results
The table below shows a summary of findings on how educational level correlates with the individual’s
perception on consumption of halal food products.

Table 1. Impact of education on the perception of halal food products

Education Mean (X) Rx Mean (Y) Ry Rx-Ry (D) D2
‘O’ level and under 0.23 4.00 3.10 3.00 1.00 1.00
‘A’ level 0.10 2.00 3.60 5.00 (3.00) 9.00
Diploma 0.13 3.00 2.60 2.00 1.00 1.00

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First Degree 0.48 5.00 3.30 4.00 1.00 1.00

Post Graduate Degree 0.08 1.00 2.30 1.00 0.00 0.00
Total 12.00
r 0.40

This analysis is based on our first hypothesis which asserts that there is a positive relationship between an
individual’s level of education and his/her perception of halal food products. This hypothesis was tested using
Spearman’s rank correlation. The results of r are 0.4 depicting a weak positive relationship between the level of
education and perception of halal foods. The fact that the relationship is weak demonstrates that education is not
a key socio-cultural variable in influencing individual’s choice and consumption of halal foods. This could be
attributed to the fact that education exposes people to various cultural backgrounds and a striking phenomenon
has been the rise of people going to Asian countries and South Africa to acquire education and work in various
industries thereby getting acculturated. In these countries they consume halal food products and as they return
home they share their experiences and may introduce these food products to their families.
The table below depicts the summary of findings on how religion correlates with an individual consumer`s
perception of halal food products.

Table 2. Impact of religion on perception of halal food products

Religion Mean (X) Rx Mean (Y) Ry Rx-Ry (D) D2
Protestant 0.21 5.00 3.60 4.00 1.00 1.00
Catholic 0.19 4.00 2.50 1.00 3.00 9.00
Baptist 0.08 2.00 3.50 3.00 (1.00) 1.00
Apostolic 0.34 6.00 3.30 2.00 4.00 16.00
Islam 0.05 1.00 3.80 5.50 (4.50) 20.25
Others 0.14 3.00 3.80 5.50 (2.50) 6.25
Total 53.50
r (0.50)

The second hypothesis asserts that there is a positive correlation between religion and an individual consumer’s
perception on consumption of halal food products. A negative relationship was found between an individual
consumer’s religion and perception on consumption of halal food products with r being -0.50. This demonstrates
that in general religion does not have a bearing on an individual’s perception on consumption of halal food
products. However it was noted that Islam and other religions are highly sensitive to the consumption of halal
food products as their religions strictly prescribe to their followers what is permissible or not. The responses
from Catholics had the least mean value (2.50) an aspect which demonstrates that they are not sensitive to the
prescription of the Christian Bible as prescribed in Deuteronomy 14:3-8, they have relaxed these biblical laws.
Despite the fact that all Christians alike read the bible there have been diverse opinions when it comes to
consumers’ food preference and choices.
The table below reflects a summary of findings on how occupation correlates with an individual consumer`s
perception of halal food products.

Table 3. Impact of occupation on perception of halal food products

Occupation Mean (X) Rx Mean (Y) Ry Rx-Ry (D) D2
Civil servants 0.26 4.00 2.70 4.00 0.00 0.00
Self employed 0.13 3.00 2.50 3.00 0.00 0.00
Cross border 0.06 1.00 1.80 1.00 0.00 0.00
Private sector 0.10 2.00 3.30 5.00 (3.00) 9.00
Others 0.45 5.00 2.30 2.00 3.00 9.00
Total 18.00
r 0.1

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Hypothesis three asserts that there is a positive relationship between occupation and an individual’s perception
on consumption of halal food products. The findings reveal that there is a very weak relationship between
occupation and an individual consumer’s perception on consumption of halal food products as depicted by r =
0.10. This could be explained by the fact that during the era of economic meltdown in Zimbabwe most of the
unemployed people crossed to South Africa and other overseas countries where the consumption of halal food
products has become a tradition. These would then remit groceries most of which are halal certified. The bulk of
the informal traders would also import halal certified food products for trading and this is what has also
contributed to the wide spread consumption of halal food products. The proliferation of halal food products was
also evident in major retail shops (such as Spar, Tsungai, OK Zimbabwe, TM etc) and in Food Retail Chain
Groups (such as Chicken Inn and Food Express). It is against this background that indeed consumers’ sensitivity
to consumption of halal food products has been compromised.
The table below shows the correlation between social class and an individual’s perception on consumption of
halal food products.

Table 4. Impact of social stratification on perception of halal food products

Social Stratification Mean (X) Rx Mean (Y) Ry Rx-Ry (D) D2
Upper class 0.08 1.00 3.50 4.50 (3.50) 12.25
Upper middle 0.23 4.00 3.50 4.50 (0.50) 0.25
Lower Middle 0.36 5.00 2.70 2.00 3.00 9.00
Upper lower 0.15 2.00 2.90 3.00 (1.00) 1.00
Lower lower 0.19 3.00 2.10 1.00 2.00 4.00
Total 26.5
r (0.3)

Hypothesis four provides for the notion that there is a positive correlation between a social class category and the
individual’s perception on consumption of halal food products. The results however demonstrate that a
consumer’s social class orientation has a negative relationship to an individual’s perception on the consumption
of halal food products as shown by the value r = -0.30. This reveals that sensitivity to consumption of halal food
products is not in any way determined by an individual’s degree of wealth (money, goods and services) and/or
personal gratification such as prestige. This however gives a diametrically opposite perspective to Max Weber’s
assertion that the various dimension of social class have different influences on the consumption and its
consequences (Encyclopaedia of Food and Culture, 2003)
6. Conclusions
The research article attempted to investigate the influence of socio-culture on consumers’ perception of halal
food products. The research was based on the analysis of the correlation that exist between the four
socio-cultural variables (education, religion, occupation and social stratification) and the individual consumer’s
perception and consumption of food products in an urban set up. The key findings of this study demonstrate that
although socio-cultural variables play a significant role on individual’s perception and consumption of halal
certified food products they are not key determinants in influencing the individual consumer. The level of
education attained by a consumer has proved to have an insignificant influence on the consumption of halal food
products. It has also been proved beyond any reasonable doubt that religion has little impact on the individual
consumer’s perception of halal food products save for Islam and other religions. This entails that most Christians
do not uphold the teachings of the Bible and also consume other foods with specific dietary guidelines such as
halal products without being cognisant of the impact they have on their health and psychological welfare. Finally
the wealth of an individual does not in any way influence individual’s perception and consumption of halal food
products. Thus although people may have differential social class backgrounds, their perception on the
consumption of halal food products is totally unrelated to their social class orientation.
7. Further Research
This particular research was carried out on a limited scale due to the limited resources (human, material and
financial) and as such the results will not depict a broader perspective of this topic, hence the researchers

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recommend that a further research be undertaken nationally so as to get a fuller picture of Zimbabwean
consumers` perceptions of halal food products in relation to their socio-cultural backgrounds. Since we
employed only four variables of socio-culture it may be prudent to carry a more comprehensive research which
may encompass more cultural variables such as family, reference groups and ethnicity among others.

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