Consumer Retaliation to Halal Violation Incidents: The Mediating Role of Trust Recovery

In recent years, there have been several cases in which Halal certification has been rescinded by the authorized institutions due to negligence to adhere to the certify standards of Halal products. The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of severity of Halal violation on consumer anti-consumption behaviors through the mediating role of trust recovery. A survey design using cross-sectional primary data from 212 Malaysian consumers that were aware and/or had experienced the violation of a Halal certification was collected. Hypotheses related to determinants and outcomes of anti-consumption behavior were tested by means of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings show that trust recovery and anti-consumption behaviors are negatively related; the severity of Halal violation is positively related to anti-consumption behaviors. Moreover, the finding suggests that trust recovery partially mediates the relationship between severity and anti-consumption behaviors. These results establish a previously unexplored link. Implications for Halal food industry are discussed.