You Eat What You Are: The Effect of Religious Identity on Halal and Kosher Diet

• In Event: 512 - Section on Consumers and Consumption Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02. Food and Stratification

Abstract

Religious identity is one of the most fundamental types of identity within the literature of identity formation. While there are several ways to express one’s own religious identity, food preferences or dietary habits is certainly one of them because certain religions have their own dietary systems for their adherents to observe. Many scholars (Bonne, Verme; Fischler 1988; Hussain 2012; Moll 2007; Nasir and Pereira 2008; Shaari, Khalique, and Malek 2013; Simoons 1994; Vallianatos and Raine 2008; Wright 2015) have hitherto stressed the relationship between religious identity and food choices of individuals.

Islam and Judaism are two major religions that prescribe certain dietary laws. Islam with 1.6 billion followers constitutes almost one quarter of the world population, while Judaism is reported to be around 14-15 million, which is almost .20% of the world population (CIA 2010). Even though Jews are globally smaller than Muslims, their number in the U.S. is greater than Muslims thanks to their early settlement (CIA 2010).

This paper serves as a research paper where the findings from a preliminary study are reported. The study is about the effect of religious identity on the halal and kosher diets of Muslims and Jews respectively. I have three main hypotheses: 1) People with high religious identity will prefer halal/kosher food more than the others with low religious identity. 2) Immigrants will observe halal/kosher diet more than non-immigrants will do. 3) Muslims’ rate of halal observance will be higher than Jews’ rate of kosher observance.

Author

• Kemal Budak, Emory University