Risyawati Mohamed Ismail

Ensuring food safety through Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is critical for Malaysia’s food industry to meet both domestic regulations and global market standards. This study applies the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to identify which organizational and perceptual factors most strongly influence HACCP adoption among Malaysian food producers. Employing a convergent mixed-methods design, quantitative data were analysed using SPSS to assess relationships among top management support, perceived cost, perceived benefits, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness, while in-depth interviews provided qualitative insights into implementation experiences. The findings in this study indicates that perceptions on perceived benefits of implementing HACCP and the system ease of use are the main motivation behind successful implementation of the system and the cost is not the crucial barrier. The role of top management remains important and critical in ensuring the commitment towards HACCP implementation throughout the company. These findings accentuate the magnitude of benefit awareness and user-friendly HACCP system design as part of the deployment strategies. For policymakers and regulatory agencies, this study also highlights the need for higher support for management engagement initiatives and optimization of HACCP process, in order to bolster the food safety control system in Malaysia and further increase our position as a competitive food exporter nation.

The anticipated global population growth to 9.7 billion by 2050 underscores the urgent need to identify sustainable protein sources to support future food systems. Traditional livestock production methods place a heavy burden on environmental resources, contributing significantly to climate change, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss. Consequently, the global community is exploring plant-based protein alternatives that are more ecologically viable and cost-effective. This study explores the nutritional and environmental potential of Azolla pinnata, an aquatic fern with remarkable protein content, as an alternative feed ingredient for poultry and aquaculture. Through biochemical analysis and feasibility studies, the research confirms Azolla pinnata’s protein yield ranges between 20–30% in dry weight, comparable to soybean, making it a highly valuable substitute for imported feed ingredients like maize and soy meal. The study also discusses cultivation challenges, including growth inconsistency and environmental sensitivity, while proposing strategies such as controlled environment agriculture and integrated aquaponic systems for large-scale production. The findings indicate that Azolla could significantly reduce feed cost, enhance local agricultural resilience, and improve Malaysia’s feed security, especially in reducing dependency on imported maize and soya. These results also align closely with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in addressing zero hunger, climate action, and sustainable agriculture.

This study investigated the success factors that drive the success of Malay halal food manufacturers in Northern Malaysia, with a specific focus on the interplay between religiosity, entrepreneurial mindset, halal supply chain dynamics, and structural challenges. Despite various support and infrastructure development, Bumiputera participation in the halal sector remains disproportionately low. This research employed a qualitative case study approach and explored the experiences of two successful halal-certified food manufacturers from the states of Kedah and Perlis. Drawing from thematic analysis, the findings reveal that religiosity acts as a powerful motivator, shaping opportunity recognition and guiding ethical business conduct. These entrepreneurs demonstrated key traits such as initiative-taking, innovativeness, and resilience in their operational transition from home-based setups to halal and GMP-certified facilities. Nonetheless, they continue to face significant challenges, particularly in sourcing halal-certified raw materials due to rigid supplier requirements and the limited choice of local supply, which strains the halal supply chains. The study applied a three-tiered theoretical framework adapted from Kouakou et al. [1] to map their development process. The findings highlight that success in halal entrepreneurship results from strategic alignment between internal motivators, such as Islamic values and opportunity-driven behavior, and external enablers like government support and global market access. Conclusively, the study recommends improving access to halal certification, reducing raw material bottlenecks, and further empowering Malay SMEs in Malaysia’s growing halal economy.

This study examined the system quality requirements of halal e-commerce platforms from a Sharia compliance perspective. Utilizing a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from two Malaysian halal e-commerce platforms. Thematic analysis revealed three key system quality criteria: user-friendliness, website quality, and system adaptability. The study highlights the necessity of quality management practices that align with Islamic principles to foster consumer trust and enhance the online shopping experience. Findings emphasize the importance of incorporating technological advancements, such as mobile apps and blockchain, to enhance transparency and streamline operations in halal e-commerce. The findings highlighted the need for halal e-commerce platforms to integrate quality management practices that align with Sharia requirements to meet the growing demand for halal products in the global market. Additionally, the findings of this research provide valuable recommendations for e-commerce stakeholders, policymakers, and halal business owners to strengthen system quality and enhance market competitiveness in the halal digital economy.

The rural agriculture sector in Malaysia is vital to the economy because it employs many. Agriculture employs 3.5 million Malaysians and amounts for 9.1% of GDP, according to Statistics Malaysia (2019). Malaysian poultry farming is vital to rural income and jobs. Poultry farmers must grasp market dynamics and prepare strategically to succeed in animal production. A socioeconomically challenged group was used to evaluate rural Malaysian chicken raising practices. The case study demonstrated how these principles apply pragmatically to similar groups. The study collected qualitative data via in-person interviews. Interview covered poultry producers' issues and data was analyzed accordingly. Results indicated that lack of extension agents, technical expertise, budgetary constraints, and communication infrastructure hinder poultry breeding farmers. These challenges drove them to forsake their poultry farm and focused on rubber tapping as the main source of income. The latter strategy is less profitable but less laborious and cheaper. The study analyzed how community empowerment sustains rural development. To enhance rural areas, policymakers and development practitioners must understand community-led activities and create focused policies. Further research should study how government agencies might boost rural economic activity and supply chain efficiency.

Despite growing evidence of increased saturated and trans fat contents in street foods, little is known about their fatty acid (FA) compositions. This study aimed to analyse the saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and trans fatty acids (TFAs) content of 70 selected and most commonly available street foods in Malaysia. The street foods were categorised into main meals, snacks, and desserts. TFAs were not detected in any of the street foods. Descriptively, all three categories mainly contained SFAs, followed by MUFAs, and PUFAs. However, the one-way ANOVA testing showed that the differences between each category were insignificant (p > 0.05), and each FA was not significantly different (p > 0.05) from one to another. Nearly half of the deep-fried street foods contained medium to high SFAs content (1.7 g/100 g–24.3 g/100 g), while the MUFAs were also high (32.0–44.4%). The Chi-square test of association showed that the type of preparation methods (low or high fat) used was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with the number of SFAs. These findings provide valuable information about fat composition in local street foods for the Malaysian Food Composition Database and highlight the urgency to improve nutritional composition.

Ambiguous information, incomplete explanation and unclear description of products portrayed in a website normally caused carts abandonment. As evidenced in many prior studies, consumers’ purchase intentions were highly influenced by their confidence in the informationprovided by the website. This study identifies criteria of qualified information and describes how it was managed by halal e-commerce businesses. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interview with key information custodians from four e-commerce platforms. The study found good understanding and efficient management of information quality criteria could help halal e-commerce businesses to progress one step ahead of their competitors.

The construction sector plays an important role in\ud the national economy through strengthening and enabling other sectors.Construction provides basic amenities and infrastructures that support social development.Despite its important contribution, the industry is still saddled with serious problems such as poor quality, low productivity, poor image, economic volatility, bureaucratic delays, and cost overruns.With an eye to overcoming these problems, this paper proposed a study on supplier-contractor partnering and its impact on construction performance