ALL AMERICANS SHOULD HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO A SAFE, NUTRITIOUS AND SECURE FOOD SUPPLY. HOWEVER, THE HALAL MEAT INDUSTRY, VITAL TO THE MUSLIM FAITH AND CULTURE, HAS ISSUES WITH FOOD FRAUD. DESPITE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS INDUSTRY, HALAL MEAT FOOD FRAUD IN THE U.S. IS NOT WELL-RESEARCHED.THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO REDUCE THE OCCURRENCE OF HALAL MEAT FOOD FRAUD IN THE UNITED STATES. IF THIS GOAL IS MET, BOTH MUSLIM AND NON-MUSLIM CONSUMERS WHO DEMAND HALAL MEATS CAN BE CONFIDENT IN THE LEGITIMACY AND QUALITY OF THE PRODUCTS THEY ARE CONSUMING. THE FULFILLMENT OF THIS GOAL WILL ALSO ENSURE THAT THE GROWING U.S. MUSLIM POPULATION BUYS THEIR HALAL MEAT FROM DOMESTIC PRODUCERS, BOLSTERING THE U.S. AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY RATHER THAN INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS. FURTHERMORE, CONSUMERS WHO ARE ATTRACTED TO THE HALAL MEAT MARKET FOR NON-RELIGIOUS REASONS, SUCH AS CLEANLINESS AND ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS, WILL ALSO BENEFIT FROM A REDUCTION IN HALAL MEAT FOOD FRAUD.THE ISSUE OF HALAL MEAT FOOD FRAUD ISALSO IMPORTANT TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF SUPPORTING CULTURAL DIVERSITY, AND INCREASED AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, AS THE U.S. MUSLIM POPULATION AND THE GLOBAL HALAL MARKET ARE GROWING RAPIDLY.MULTIPLE STEPS WILL BE TAKEN TO COLLECT AND PRODUCE DATA AND RESULTS FOR THIS STUDY.TO MEET OUR RESEARCH OBJECTIVES, A MIXED METHODS APPROACH WILL BE EMPLOYED INCLUDING FOCUS GROUPS, SURVEYS AND AN IN-PERSON WILLINGNESS-TO-PAY ASSESSMENT.FOCUS GROUPS:FOCUS GROUPS WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF SURVEYS (DISCUSSED BELOW). A CONSUMER FOCUS GROUP WILL BE CONDUCTED TO UNDERSTAND PREFERENCES FOR HALAL MEAT CERTIFICATION AND FOOD FRAUD ISSUES. ADDITIONALLY, RETAILERS AND PROCESSORS WILL BE INTERVIEWED TO GATHER MOTIVATIONS FOR HALAL PRODUCTION DECISIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF FOOD FRAUD.SURVEYS:CONSUMER, RETAILER, AND PROCESSOR SURVEYS WILL BE ADMINISTERED.PARTICIPANTS WILL RANK THE DIFFERENT HALAL CERTIFICATIONS ATTRIBUTES BASED ON CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, ANIMAL WELFARE, TRUSTWORTHINESS, AND ADHERENCE TO RELIGIOUS STANDARDS. ADDITIONALLY, THE SURVEY RESPONSES WILL PROVIDE EXPLANATIONS FOR THESE RANKING RELATED TO PERSONAL MORALS, MONETARY DRIVERS, MARKET RELIABILITY, OR PRODUCT AVAILABILITY AMONG OTHER REASONS THAT ARE MAY BE INFLUENTIAL IN THE HALAL SUPPLY OR DEMAND DECISIONS.IN-PERSON WILLINGNESS TO PAY WITH SHOPPERS:AN IN-PERSON EXPERIMENT AT A GROCERY STORE UTILIZING THE SAME BEEF, LAMB, AND CHICKEN PRODUCTS, LABELS, AND CHOICES AS THE CONSUMER SURVEY WILL BE CONDUCTED.