Exploring the regional, economic, and subjective factors affecting milk consumption in Iran

Achieving sustainable development goals of communities requires sustainable food security programs. Overconsumption and underconsumption of dairy products can lead to nutritional, economic and environmental aspects. This thesis deals with the factors affecting milk consumption in Iran. The thesis structure is arranged in two separate but related studies that are presented in two distinct chapters and elaborated with four supplementary chapters, namely, general introduction, literature review, research design, and final conclusion. Using cross-sectional data related to the year 2013 (the most recent available and official data), econometric modeling was performed to explain patterns of milk consumption worldwide (chapter 4). By incorporating dummy variables, per capita milk consumption in 164 countries is predictable in 11 different patterns. The nonlinear econometric model also showed that milk consumption exponentially increases when HDI grows. However, each given country follows its own growth curve, based on the area in which it is present. While the predicted value of the model was close to the actual value for many countries; it was shown that milk consumption in Iran did not follow its regional pattern. Therefore, it was concluded that non-economic factors (such as consumer attitudes) had a remarkable impact on Iranian dairy consumption. Using a mixed-method Q technique, the second study (chapter five) discovered four distinct viewpoints in Iranian people toward milk and dairy products. Exploratory Factor Analysis was employed to identify and interpret the diversity of views. The clustering of results also showed that consumers can be divided into three distinct groups. This conclusion can be of particular interest to policymakers and marketers In chapter six, the conclusions were discussed in detail, along with the research limitations, policy recommendations, and directions for future research. ; A realização de objetivos e metas de desenvolvimento sustentável das comunidades requer programas ...