Restoring Trust: A New Ethical Framework for Halal Supply Chains

Abstract

The global halal meat supply chain confronts a critical integrity crisis characterized by the Halal Paradox, whereby market expansion coincides with declining consumer trust. This concept paper identifies epistemological rupture as the fundamental driver of systemic fraud, conceptualizing it as the institutional decoupling of certification form from spiritual substance. Employing theory-building methodology through narrative synthesis and forensic pattern-matching analysis of Malaysia's 2020 meat cartel scandal, the study demonstrates that secular governance frameworks rooted in Agency Theory fail to address the internal moral compass of supply chain agents. By synthesizing Al-Faruqi's Tawhidic paradigm with Al-Attas's philosophy of Adab, we develop a five-layer Tawhidic Integrity Framework that translates Islamic ethical constructs into operational governance mechanisms. The research contributes three theoretical innovations: first, the concept of Spiritual Agency Costs as an extension of classical agency theory; second, Digital Shahada as a socio-technical construct wherein blockchain effectiveness is moderated by human Taqwa; third, testable propositions correlating epistemological rupture severity with fraud incidence. This framework advances halal governance from compliance-based surveillance to consciousness-based stewardship, bridging Islamic civilization scholarship with contemporary supply chain management theory while offering actionable intervention strategies for practitioners and regulators.