MALAYSIAN ON ISLAMIC BEHAVIOURAL PRINCIPLES IN FOOD HYGIENE

Strengthening Self Managed Hygiene Practices Through a Culturally Grounded Framework

Abstract

This review synthesises recent Malaysian research on food hygiene behaviour and examines how Islamic behavioural principles can enhance self managed hygiene in everyday food handling. Although knowledge of food safety among food handlers and consumers in Malaysia is generally high, the translation of this knowledge into consistent behaviour remains limited across demographic groups and across both urban and rural settings. Islamic principles offer a culturally grounded corrective to these behavioural gaps. The concept of amanah positions food handling as a moral responsibility, the principle of avoiding harm encourages precaution in daily decisions and the notion of halalan tayyiban links religious obligation directly to hygiene quality and overall food wholesomeness. These values have the potential to reinforce disciplined and conscientious behaviour even in low resource or low supervision environments. By integrating Islamic ethical motivation with contemporary public health approaches, the review proposes a more comprehensive framework for strengthening hygiene behaviour and improving food safety outcomes in Malaysia.