Exploration of Foods and Foodomics

Table 1. Items measuring attitudes towards local dairy products.

Variable	Items	Cronbach’s alpha
Environmental attitudes (EA) Adapted from [25, 43]	It’s worth spending money to prevent environmental damage and pollution.	0.826
	We should do everything we can to protect the environment.
	We should choose a lifestyle that causes less harm to the environment.
	I welcome local dairy production that prioritizes the natural environment and conservation.
Good food (GF) Adapted from [36, 28]	I am very concerned about my health.	0.644
	I am responsible for my own health.
	I trust the quality of local dairy products.
	The taste of local dairy products is a priority for me.
	Using raw milk instead of powdered milk in dairy products is important.
Food heritage (FH) Developed based on [14, 15]	Preserving the diversity of local dairy products is important to me.	0.826
	I prefer old and traditional foods and flavors to new and trendy ones.
	Consuming local dairy products means caring about the local people and community.
	Buying local dairy products means preserving biological and cultural heritage.
	I find the traditional production methods of local dairy products interesting and appealing.
Interpersonal influences (II) Adapted from [26]	I usually buy dairy products that others have recommended.	0.615
	Before buying dairy products, I gather information about them from friends, family, or acquaintances.
	I usually use dairy products that I have personally tried.
	Attractive packaging is my main motivation for buying local dairy products.
Attitudes toward local and traditional dairy products (ALDC) Developed based on [21, 61]	I agree with the idea that “it is better to buy local dairy products.”	0.860
	The continued production of local dairy products is a good and appealing idea.
	Compared to factory-produced dairy products, I have a positive attitude towards local dairy products.
	In terms of taste, local dairy products are better than factory-produced dairy products.
Willingness to pay (WTP) Adapted from [65, 67]	I am willing to pay more for local dairy products.	0.660
	Paying more for local dairy products is justified.
	By paying more for local dairy products compared to factory-produced dairy products, I contribute to environmental protection.
	Using local dairy products is not economically viable.
	By buying local dairy products, I contribute to the improvement of the rural economy in my province.
	Buying local dairy products leads to a direct connection between the seller and the customer, eliminating intermediaries.
Perceived necessity (PN) Adapted from [26]	When buying items, I always pay attention to whether they are environmentally friendly.	–0.122^*
	In my daily purchases, I don’t pay attention to whether the products I buy are local.
	Due to some problems, I cannot pay attention to the local and indigenous nature of essential products for life.
	If I am sure of the hygiene of local dairy products, I will use them more.
Purchase intention (PI) Adapted from [24, 25]	I intend to buy local dairy products this year.	0.908
	I would be happy to be able to buy local dairy products in the future.
	I am eager to buy local dairy products at the first opportunity.
	The probability that I will buy local dairy products is very high.

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*: The PN construct was excluded from the final analysis due to negative Cronbach’s alpha (–0.122) and lack of significant relationships in the path analysis. This indicates the items did not form a reliable unidimensional scale in this context.

Declarations

Acknowledgments

During the preparation of this work, the authors used ChatGPT-Plus 6 and editGPT to proofread. After using this tool/service, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.

Author contributions

MSA: Supervision, Methodology, Formal analysis, Conceptualization, Investigation, Visualization, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. FL: Data curation, Methodology. SM: Writing—original draft, Formal analysis. HEB: Writing—original draft, Formal analysis. AF: Methodology, Formal analysis. All authors read and approved the submitted version.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Research Department of Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Iran, with the approval number 11750325972002.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection, and the confidentiality and anonymity of all respondents were guaranteed throughout the research process.

Consent to publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials

Data are available from the authors upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

Funding

Not applicable.

Copyright

Publisher’s note

Open Exploration maintains a neutral stance on jurisdictional claims in published institutional affiliations and maps. All opinions expressed in this article are the personal views of the author(s) and do not represent the stance of the editorial team or the publisher.

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