Determinant of Consumer Awareness Toward Halal Food During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Indonesia

This study aims to explain the level of consumer awareness of halal food products. In addition, this study also aims to examine the factors that determine the level of consumer awareness of halal food products. This research is explanatory research with a quantitative approach. Sources of data in this study are primary and secondary data. This study uses primary data sources with survey methods. The number of samples used was as many as 385 people. The data obtained were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. This study is a development of previous research that investigated and measured the index of consumer awareness of halal food products in Indonesia. This study found that the level of consumer awareness of halal food in Indonesia is very high. Meanwhile, the determining factors are religiosity, media exposure, and hygiene reasons.


INTRODUCTION
Indonesia is one of the hundreds of countries in the world experiencing a crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the first case was announced by the President of the Republic of Indonesia in March 2020, positive cases of Covid-19 have not been controlled until now. It was recorded that the positive cases of Covid-19 in Indonesia until the end of November 2021 had reached 4.25 million people. 1 This condition forced the Indonesian government to impose Micro-Scale Social Restrictions in various regions. The movement and mobility of people, goods, and services are limited to break the chain of the spread of the Covid-19 virus. 2 Consequently, this policy has a major impact on the decline in overall economic activity. This policy then raises a paradox between economic issues and health issues. On the one hand, it is necessary to limit the mobility of people to break the chain of the spread of the Covid-19 virus, on the other hand, economic movements must continue for the survival of the community.
The existence of this gap between health and economic issues seems to have an impact on the During the Covid-19 pandemic, the community tried to meet basic needs and purchase chemicals related to preventive efforts in preventing and transmitting Covid-19. On the other hand, the impact of this outbreak has actually strengthened solidarity with the affected communities. 3 In addition, the Covid-19 outbreak has also had an impact on the strengthening of the issue of halal certification. Many countries today have issued halal certificates on a wide variety of food products. In Indonesia, the institution that has the authority to issue halal certificates is Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), in Malaysia, there is the Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), and in Singapore, there is the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS). This certification is to ensure that the food in circulation is allowed to be consumed by the Muslim community and is protected from various harmful ingredients for the consumer's body.  Marketing,11.2 As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, 5 the demand for halal food in Indonesia is certainly very large. Ironically, Indonesia is not the largest halal food producer in the world. Based on data from the State of Global Islamic Economy Report 2019/20, Indonesia is not even in the Top 10 halal food-producing countries in the world. 6 The State of Global Islamic Economy Report 2019/20 data is reinforced by the fact that the number of products that received halal certificates in Indonesia in 2019 only reached 854,333 products. 7 This figure is very small when compared to the number of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia in 2018 which has reached 64.2 million. 8 In fact, when compared to the number of Muslim consumers in Indonesia, which reaches 229 million people, 9 the number of halalcertified products in Indonesia is still very small, which is only 0.37%.  Krishnan et al., who found that Generation Z lacked awareness about halal logos. Generation Z also does not pay attention to the raw materials (ingredients) of food products. Generation Z's lifestyle also affects their lack of awareness of halal products, because many of this generation only follow a lifestyle that is exposed on the internet and social media, without paying attention to the halal aspect. 13 Based on the explanation above, there is still a research gap between researchers regarding what factors affect consumer awareness of halal products, especially halal food. In fact, based on the researcher's knowledge, to date, there has been no research that has investigated the level of consumer awareness of halal food and its determining factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to investigate the level of consumer awareness of halal food and its determinants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Literature Review Awareness of Halal Food
The concept of halal has become an inseparable discussion of Islamic teachings. This is due to the command from Allah SWT to every human being to consume everything that is lawful. The command is contained in the Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah verse 168 which means "O people! Eat of (food) that is lawful and good that is on earth, and do not follow the steps of the devil. Indeed, Satan is a real enemy to you." The word halal contained in the verse comes from Arabic and refers to everything that is allowed to be consumed by Muslims based on sharia. The opposite of halal is haram. The word haram itself also comes from Arabic which means everything that is not allowed to be consumed by Muslims based on sharia. 14 Awareness is one of the important aspects of consumer preferences for products and services. Awareness is the starting point for the formation of consumer behavior. Awareness reflects the first step of the buying process, in which consumers who are not particularly experienced with the product or service become familiar with it. Halal awareness can be defined as having special interests or experiences or having information about halal food, beverages, and products. 15 So halal awareness is the process of informing to increase the awareness level of Muslims about what is permissible to eat, drink and use. In other words, awareness means knowledge or understanding of a particular subject or situation. 16 In the context of halal food, this awareness variable is one of the determining factors for consumers in choosing halal food products.
Awareness is an indication that someone already knows and understands something, such as a place, personality, product or service, and so on. Awareness can stimulate a person to take action and decisions (decision making) based on what is known and understood. The level of customer awareness or Customer Level Awareness (CAL) reveals the stages or phases of the psychological aspects of the customer in terms of understanding and knowledge about ideas, people, places, products, and services. 17 Public awareness of halal food (halal awareness) in a community group is determined by certain factors. These factors are the key to increasing public awareness of halal. The level of religious belief, health reasons, halal logo certification, and a good level of exposure are factors that determine halal awareness. In this study, the level of religious belief and health are the two most influential variables on halal awareness. 18 Another research was conducted by Hasan targeting students in Yogyakarta. In contrast to previous studies, this study examines 3 variables as a determinant of halal awareness, namely religious beliefs, selfidentity, and media exposure. This study found that religious beliefs, self-identity, and media exposure have a significant influence on halal awareness, both from partial analysis and simultaneous analysis. 19 It seems that the religious belief factor is the most influential factor in the halal awareness of the community. Similar results are also shown from the research conducted by Nusran et al,. which proves that the factor of religious belief has more influence on the behavior of consuming halal products than knowledge about halal products itself. Nusran's findings show that there is quite good halal awareness among non-Muslims. Halal awareness is shown by knowledge of non-Muslim consumers about halal food, halal principles, and the advantages of animals slaughtered in a halal way. 20 Subsequent research was carried out by Abdalla Mohamed 18 Ambali and Bakar: 3-25. 19  Bashir in South Africa which explored the determinants of non-Muslim communities choosing halal food products. Their research found that health and hygiene are the main factors for non-Muslims to choose halal food products. 21 While in Malaysia, research on halal awareness includes research on the relationship between halal awareness and the search for information on halal products in Muslim families. This research was conducted on 340 Muslim families in Bangi, Selangor. The output obtained from this study is that there is a significant correlation between the awareness factor and informationseeking behavior in Muslim families. 22 Halal awareness studies were also conducted on Generation Z in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by means of interviews. The main focus of this study is to measure Generation Z's halal awareness of the halal industry. The results obtained are quite surprising. Generation Z has less awareness of halal labels on food products and restaurants. The reason this can happen is the lifestyle of Generation Z. Generation Z has been widely exposed to technology and 21  social media. This makes them look for popularity to show on social media by consuming trending things. Because of their lifestyle, Generation Z is not aware of the halalness of the products they consume. 23 Other research shows that the level of awareness of Indonesian consumers towards halal products is very high, which is 94.91%. This research was conducted on respondents with an age range of 18 to 60 years. 24

Religious Belief and Consumer Awareness
Religion is considered not only related to spirituality but also beliefs, morals, and regulations related to human life, including the rules on how humans should carry out consumption activities. In consumption activities, Muslims believe that only halal and good food (halal thayyiban) can be consumed. On the other hand, forbidden foods are not allowed to be consumed. The belief in the command to consume halal food and the prohibition on consuming haram food are strong reasons for Muslims to carry out consumption activities. Religious knowledge or belief is the best guide for determining food consumption because some religions impose dietary restrictions, for example, the prohibition of pork and meat that is not ritually slaughtered in Judaism and Islam, and pork and beef in Hinduism and Buddhism. 25 Ambali & Bakar, Nusran et al., Yasid, et al., show that religious belief is considered to be a factor that can affect the level of consumer awareness of halal food. 26 Based on this, the hypotheses developed in this study are as follows: H1: Religiosity has a significant influence on consumer awareness of halal food.

Self-Identity and consumer awareness
Self-identity for a Muslim means he describes and positions himself according to Islamic rules. Identity as a Muslim is derived from several factors such as pressure to behave in a way that is acceptable to the Muslim community. Individuals in Muslim societies are limited by the rules that guide their lives in the community. Among these rules is an agreement on the basis of religious beliefs to consume halal food for the entire Muslim community. Thus consuming non-halal food is prohibited and can imply social sanctions that will make a person excluded from society. Such actions can also degrade relationships in family, relatives, and themes. 27 25 Ambali and Bakar: 3-25. 26 Salman & Siddiqui, and Yasid, et al., found that self-identity is also a determining factor that can affect consumer awareness of halal products. 28 Thus, the research hypothesis is as follows: H2: Self-identity has a significant influence on consumer awareness of halal food.

Media exposure and consumer awareness
The media in this context plays a role in providing information to the public regarding halal food products. The forms of media can be various, including print media, online media, media, electronics to social media. Yasid, Farhan, and Ardiyansyah stated that information on halal food through the media can have a positive influence on consumer awareness of halal food. 29 In Malaysia and other Muslim countries, the government can use the media to educate the public about halal food products. This media exposure aims to increase awareness of halal products through education and learning.  30 Media exposure can affect the level of consumer awareness of halal products. To that end, the research hypothesis is as follows: H3: Media exposure has a significant influence on consumer awareness of halal food.

Health Reasons and consumer awareness
Halal food is not only defined as food that is allowed to be consumed religiously, but halal food also means healthy food. Health indicators in halal food are interpretations of halalan thayyiba. Several studies have found that health reasons are one of the determinants of consumer awareness of halal food. 31 To that end, the hypotheses developed in this study are: H4: Health reasons have a significant influence on consumer awareness of halal food.

Hygiene Reason and consumer awareness
Cleanliness is the most important thing in Islam. In fact, cleanliness ranks first in the study of 30 Ambali and Bakar: 3-25. 31  fiqh before the discussion of worship. Hygiene has been much emphasized in halal which covers various aspects, both the human body, clothing, equipment, and workplaces for processing or manufacturing food, beverages, and other products. The goal is to ensure that the produced food is safe, hygienic, and not harmful to human health.
In the context of halal, hygienic food, drink and products can be defined as free from najis or contamination and harmful germs. So, it clearly shows that halal is very particular in matters of food especially in the practice of keeping ourselves and the things around us clean to prevent disease. Therefore, a safe food, drink, or product is one that does not harm consumers, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. Ambali & Bakar and Bashir concluded that hygiene reasons could be a factor influencing consumer awareness of halal products. 32 Thus, the research hypothesis is as follows: H5: The reason that cleanliness has a significant influence on consumer awareness of halal food

METHODS
The type of research used in this research is survey research, where this research will measure the level of consumer awareness, as well as explain what factors are the determinants. For this reason, the 32 Ambali and Bakar: 3-25; Bashir, 'Effect of Halal Awareness, Halal Logo and Attitude on Foreign Consumers' Purchase Intention ': 1998-2015. approach that will be used in this study is a quantitative approach. 33 The respondents of this study came from the areas of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek). The reason for choosing this location is because Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia and the areas of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi are the buffer areas so that the Indonesian economy is centered on these areas. The data collection method used in this research is a survey using a questionnaire that has been developed from existing theories. This research questionnaire uses a Likert scale, with a score of 1 for the answer "strongly disagree" and 4 for the answer "strongly agree". The sample size used in this study was 385 Muslim consumers living in the Greater Jakarta area. Questionnaires were administered to respondents via a digital platform (Google Form).
The collected data were analyzed statistically through two stages. The first stage is a statistical descriptive analysis to measure the level of consumer awareness of halal food. The second stage is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis to explain the relationship between the variables being tested. This study will examine the relationship between two types of variables, namely exogenous variables and endogenous variables.  The majority of respondents are also between the ages of 18 and 39 years (300, 78%) with the highest education levels being S1 (202, 52%) and Masters (89, 23%). The type of occupation of most respondents is students (161, 42%) followed by teachers/lecturers (89, 23%) private employees (59, 15%), and civil servants (39, 10%).

Measurement Model Analysis
Analysis of the measurement model in this study was used to examine the relationship between each indicator and its latent variables. This test was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the research questions posed to the respondents. The following table 2 shows the information factor loading, construct reliability, and variance extracted.

Customer's Awareness Level (CAL) Analysis of Halal Food
Customer Awareness Level (CAL) is the level of consumer awareness of a product/service that will influence them in making decisions to purchase products or use services. Awareness can be said to be the first stage of the process of adopting a new product or idea. Awareness is a state where consumers are aware of the existence of a product. Awareness of a product is interpreted only as limited to consumer awareness of the existence of a product, but information related to the product is still minimal. 36 Meanwhile, a person is said to have awareness of halal products if he has an interest, experience, good information about halal food, halal drinks, and other halal products. 37 In this study, the authors will present findings of the level of consumer awareness of halal food. The rating scale used to interpret the results of the TCR value in the study is as follows: Score 0% -20% = Very Low Score 21% -40% = Fairly Low Score 41% -60% = Medium Score 61% -80% = High Enough Score 81% -100%= Very High The following are the results of data processing using TCR calculations: Based on Table 3 above, it can be seen that the TCR score for the first question reached 99.3% or very high.
This shows that the respondents in this study have a high awareness that the halal food consumed is very important for their lives. The high TCR score is motivated by the majority of the Indonesian population who are Muslim, in addition to the obligation for Muslims to consume food and drinks, plants, and animals that are lawful and good. 39 Furthermore, the TCR score for the second question is 93.6%, which means it is very high. This data also shows that the respondents in this study also have a concern for halal issues.  Detiknews, 2015. in Madiun in 2020 41 as well as the Borax Meatball case which is found almost every year in various regions in Indonesia. The public's attention to various non-halal food issues also strengthens the findings of this study.
Likewise, the TCR score for the third question reached 88.7%, or very high. Meanwhile, the TCR scores for the fourth and fifth questions reached 65.8% and 69% or high. The majority of respondents in this study stated that the halalness of the product was their consideration in choosing food. In addition, the majority of respondents have also made a halal lifestyle their lifestyle. Not only that, but the majority of respondents also stated that they would take action if they found things that were not in accordance with the concept of halal food. The existence of reports to the authorities regarding non-halal food issues that the authors have mentioned above is strong evidence that in addition to having awareness of halal food, Based on country with a majority Muslim population like Malaysia, 43 and Pakistan 44 also shows a high level of public awareness of halal food.

Structural Model Analysis and Hypothesis Testing
After testing the validity and reliability through the Measurement Model analysis above, the next researcher will present the results of the Structural Model analysis that tests the relationship between latent variables. In this study, there are 5 exogenous variables and 1 endogenous variable. The exogenous variables in this study were religiosity, self-identity, media exposure, health reasons, and hygiene reasons. Meanwhile, the endogenous variable in this study is awareness of halal food.
The first step before the researcher presents the results of the structural model data processing, the researcher will first present the results of the overall fittest of the model. The following are the results of the goodness of fit in this model: Based on table 4 above, it can be seen that 7 of the 9 goodness of fit aspects have met the model fit test criteria. Only 2 aspects get poor results. So, it can be concluded that the overall fit of the model is good.
Next, the researcher will present the results of the structural model test. This structural model test is also used to test the hypothesis. The following are the results of structural model data processing between latent variables in this study:

Figure 2: Structural Model
Based on Figure 2 above, it can be seen that there are 2 variables that have a T-Value value of less than 1.96. 45 For more details, the results of the structural model test can be seen in the following table: In addition to religiosity, table 5 also shows that the media exposure variable also has a significant influence on consumer awareness of halal food with a T-Value of 2.05. Thus, hypothesis H0c is not accepted and H1c is accepted.
This finding also supports several previous studies which state that media exposure has a positive impact in increasing consumer awareness of halal products. The level of consumer awareness is also influenced by media exposure about halal products, both print media, electronic media, and social media. 48  cases of halal food but do not meet the thayyiban criteria, such as foods that contain high levels of sugar, which are certainly not good for people with diabetes. Likewise, not all thayyiban foods are halal, such as foods that meet daily nutritional needs but are obtained by vanity (stealing), or animal meat that is slaughtered not in accordance with Islamic Sharia rules.

CONCLUSION
Based on the findings in this study, it can be concluded that the Indonesian people have a very high Consumer Awareness Level (CAL) of halal food. This high level of consumer awareness is supported by the fact that Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world. There are 3 factors that determine consumer awareness of halal food, namely the latent variable of religiosity, media exposure, and reasons for cleanliness. Meanwhile, 2 other latent variables, namely selfidentity and health reasons, did not have a significant effect on consumer awareness of halal food.
The implication of this study for policymakers is that there is a need for synergy between institutions such as the Halal Product Assurance Agency (Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Produk Halal/BPJPH) and educational institutions in Indonesia to provide education to business and industry players on the importance of producing halal-certified food, given the high awareness of Indonesian consumers.
to halal food. Policymakers can also campaign for a halal lifestyle through their media exposure so that the values and norms of Muslim consumers who only consume halal food can be internalized in the products sold by business and industry players.
In addition, education on the marketing of halal products through technology and information also needs to be provided, especially for MSMEs.
Utilization of this technology and information development absolutely must be mastered by business actors and industry in order to be able to market their halal food products globally. By doing so, it is hoped that Indonesia can become the country with the largest halal food production in the world in the next few years.