The role of halal requirements, health-environmental factors, and domestic interest in food miles of apple fruit

Abstract

This study examines the indirect and direct factors affecting the preference for distant travel of apple fruit (food miles or FMs) in Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country. This research employs a quantitative consumer survey of 522 respondents in Indonesia from January to February 2023. Data were collected online (i.e. via social media), and the respondents were chosen randomly. Data were then analysed using a partial least square-structural equation model to prove the proposed hypotheses using Rstudio. This investigation has some principal findings. First, domestic interest and health-environment benefits directly affect the preference for short food miles (SFMs). Second, the halal requirements do not directly affect the choice of SFMs but indirectly affect the preference for SFMs through health-environmental benefits. In sum, the choice for SFMs is affected by domestic interest (direct), health-environmental benefits (direct), and halal requirements (indirect). This study finally has a theoretical contribution to the interplay among green supply chain, halal food supply chain, and food security.

Keywords

• food preference
• domestic and local foods
• halal food supply chain
• food security
• green supply chain