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Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward dairy fat and consumption of dairy fat in Mexico, Chile, and Argentina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2025

Einar Vargas-Bello-Pérez Open the ORCID record for Einar Vargas-Bello-Pérez [Opens in a new window] ,
Paula Toro-Mujica ,
América Chávez Martínez ,
Karen Tajonar ,
Andrew Ainslie ,
Juan Pablo Keim Open the ORCID record for Juan Pablo Keim [Opens in a new window] ,
Javier Baudracco  and
Navid Ghavipanje
Einar Vargas-Bello-Pérez*
Affiliation:
Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México Department of International Development, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
Paula Toro-Mujica*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencias Agroalimentarias, Animales y Ambientales (ICA3), Universidad de O'Higgins, San Fernando, Chile
América Chávez Martínez
Affiliation:
Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México
Karen Tajonar
Affiliation:
Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Producción y de la Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Andrew Ainslie
Affiliation:
Department of International Development, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
Juan Pablo Keim
Affiliation:
Instituto de Producción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Alimentarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
Javier Baudracco
Affiliation:
IciAgro Litoral, FCA, Universidad Nacional del Litoral-CONICET, Kreder 2805, Esperanza(3080), Argentina
Navid Ghavipanje
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran South Khorasan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Birjand, Iran
*
Corresponding author: Einar Vargas-Bello-Pérez-Pérez; Email: einar.vargasbelloperez@reading.ac.uk; Paula Toro-Mujica; Email: paula.toro@uoh.cl
Corresponding author: Einar Vargas-Bello-Pérez-Pérez; Email: einar.vargasbelloperez@reading.ac.uk; Paula Toro-Mujica; Email: paula.toro@uoh.cl
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Abstract

The objective of this research paper was to assess consumer knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards dairy fat. Adult participants completed a web-based survey collected from November 2022 to February 2023, across Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. In total, 1,204 respondents completed the survey. Most respondents were between 18 and 39 years old, female, educated, and employed. For both women (χ2 = 13.7, df = 4 p < 0.01) and men (χ2 = 26.7, df = 4 p < 0.01), the percentage of people who consume dairy products at least once a day increases with age. However, neither gender nor age affected the consumption of milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, or cream. An effect of country (χ2 = 330.2, df = 18 p < 0.01), age (χ2 = 69.2, df = 36 p < 0.01), and gender (χ2 = 69.2, df = 36 p < 0.01) was observed with respect to the type of milk consumed. In Mexico, whole milk consumption rates were highest, while semi-skimmed milk was favored in Chile, and skimmed milk in Argentina. Whole milk consumption was higher in men, however, skimmed and light milk were preferred by women. An effect of country (χ2 = 30.4, df = 14 p < 0.01) and age (χ2 = 70.1, df = 28 p < 0.01) was observed in relation to the type of fat that people consider most important. More respondents (48%) considered milk fat to be “healthy” or “very healthy” while no dependence was observed between countries and the relationship between the milk fat content and health. The best-known milk fat component in Argentina was omega-6 while Chilean consumers were less familiar with this component. Mexican consumers, gave greater importance to mono-unsaturated fats. Knowledge of other dairy fat groups and nutrients was similar across countries. This study benchmarks consumer knowledge and perceptions of dairy fat in Latin America, offering valuable insights for academia, industry, and consumers in the dairy sector.

Keywords

consumer preferencesdairyfatLatin Americalipids

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 92 , Issue 2 , May 2025 , pp. 297 - 305
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Hannah Dairy Research Foundation.

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