The Future Direction of Halal Food Additive and Ingredient Research in Economics and Business: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The increasing growth trend of the global Muslim population implies an increase in the consumption of halal products. The importance of the halal market attracts much attention from many stakeholders, including academia/researchers. Many scholars have conducted studies on halal topics. However, these studies cover broad topics, such as ICT potential in the halal sector, the halal supply chain, Islamic Law, and other halal studies related to natural sciences. This study aims to study the research gap and future trends of halal food additive and ingredient research in business and economics using bibliometric analysis. The data were obtained from the Scopus database from 1999 to 2022. The authors analyzed the keyword “Halal Consumption and Production” by using the general keyword “Halal or Haram Additive and Ingredient”. The dataset was uploaded on VOSviewer and R language (Bibliometrix) software. This study found a deficit of studies on halal food additives and ingredients in business and economics. The co-occurrence network output demonstrated that future studies on halal food additives and ingredients should consider clusters that have lower density and central positions, such as production–consumption and the supply chain, healthy foods, and the logistics market and health effects. The Bibliometrix strategic diagram of the 2020–2022 thematic evolution demonstrates a research gap in three out of four quadrants (i.e., emerging or declining, basic, and motor themes). This study suggests potential research areas in the field of halal food additives and ingredients, such as ethical and sustainable sourcing, responsible consumption, consumer sovereignty, international trade, economic modeling, food security, green/sustainable supply chain, and halal regulation and product safety.