What Do Muslim Consumers Think About Halal and Animal Welfare? The Case of Türkiye

New study from Animetrics: Muslim Consumers’ Perspectives on Animal Welfare in Halal Production and Dietary Choices in Türkiye

Muslims make up nearly two billion people worldwide, and their daily food choices are often guided by halal principles, a set of dietary guidelines that determine what is permissible under Islamic law. For many, halal goes beyond rules about what can or cannot be eaten; it is part of a broader moral framework that also shapes beliefs about how animals should be treated in food production.

As the global Muslim population grows, the halal food sector has become one of the fastest-growing parts of the global food economy. Despite this rapid growth, we still know surprisingly little about how Muslim consumers connect halal with animal welfare, or how faith influences their dietary choices. 

To gain clearer insight into these questions, we surveyed 788 Muslim adults in Türkiye, asking whether they see animal welfare as a requirement of halal, who they believe is responsible for ensuring animal welfare standards in halal food production, and whether avoiding animal-based products is compatible with Islam.

Understanding these perspectives is crucial as it can help organizations develop more effective and culturally grounded ways to improve animal welfare in halal food systems.

🔍 Key highlights

• For most participants, animal welfare is seen as a requirement for halal status. Nearly 7 in 10 say animals must be well treated throughout their lives for a product to qualify as halal — and more than half believe halal systems treat animals better than non-halal ones.
• Responsibility for ensuring good treatment of animals in halal production is seen as mainly institutional.  Halal certification bodies and government institutions are most often viewed as responsible, followed by farms and factories involved in the production. Religious authorities and consumers are seen as less central overall.
• Among those who see consuming halal food as very important, religious authorities, religious leaders, and consumers are also seen as responsible. For them, ensuring good treatment of animals goes beyond institutions directly involved in production and becomes a shared responsibility.
• While animal welfare is widely seen as part of halal, stunning remains controversial. Only a small minority (17%) support permitting stunning in halal slaughter, with opposition especially strong among those who place high importance on halal and report higher religious practice.
• Plant-based diets are widely seen as compatible with Islam. Nearly two-thirds of participants agree that choosing a plant-based diet does not raise religious objections.

📌 Main recommendations to advocacy organizations

• Present animal welfare improvements as steps that reflect halal principles. Framing animal welfare reforms as consistent with halal principles and clearly explaining where current practices fall short can help build support for higher standards and better monitoring.
• Engage certifiers and regulators. Sharing evidence about consumer expectations around animal welfare in halal production can help promote stronger standards, better monitoring, and greater transparency.
• Work with religious scholars and community leaders. Many highly committed halal consumers see animal welfare as part of their religious responsibility. Highlighting this can open space for dialogue and support for welfare improvements.
• Address concerns around stunning carefully. Explore the religious and practical reasons behind opposition. Where appropriate, raise awareness of internationally accepted halal-compliant welfare practices and clarify the conditions under which stunning is considered permissible.
• Bring public views on plant-based diets into outreach efforts and discussions. Since many participants view plant-based diets as compatible with Islam, this perception can serve as an entry point for engagement. At the same time, understanding why some consumers do not share this view can help identify and address potential barriers. 

📖 Read the full report!

📝 Have questions, feedback, or need help applying the findings?  Take this 2 min survey here. 💛