Reasons for businesses prefering halal food certificate from the perspective of islamic economics: A Qualitative research in Aksaray province

Islamic economics is a science that deals with economic activities in line with the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, which are the basic sources of religion. In this context, one of the important topics in this branch of science based on religious foundations is the issue of halal earnings. Indeed, in verses and hadiths, there are commands and advices regarding eating and drinking halal, earning from halal, and spending in legitimate places. In this context, halal in Islam is a concept that expresses actions and situations for which there is no prohibition, while haram is a concept that expresses actions and situations that are prohibited. The aim of this study is to conduct interviews with seven halal food certificate holder businesses in Aksaray province from the perspective of Islamic economics, based on the semi-structured interview technique. Within the scope of this study, the reasons why businesses need halal food certificates, the contributions of the certificate to companies and customers, and the problems encountered by businesses in the halal certificate processes (purchase phase and inspection phase) are discussed. As a result of the research, it was determined that the main reason for choosing the certificate is to prove the halalness and reliability of the product produced, while in terms of the contributions the certificate provides to the businesses, it was concluded that it mainly contributes to commercial aspects and brand reliability, and also contributes to the establishment of trust for the customers.