Resisting Economy, Dairy Products Consumption and Public Health Policy: Current Status & Future Planning

Per capita consumption of milk and dairy products inIran is about 60 kg which, unfortunately, is extremelylow compared to regional countries like Pakistan (159kg), Turkey (138 kg), Armenia (136 kg), AzerbaijanRepublic (119 kg), several of them having quite lowerGDP than ours. It is supposed that 90% of the peopleof the country have calcium deficiency, with mean ageof low bone density at 30 years old. The problemwould become more serious when we consider thatthis low consumption rate of dairy products is not onlydue to the public nutritional habits, but according tothe health authorities, dairy consumption hasexperiences a rapid fall down after austerity measureshave been put to the country’s economy resulting in arapid increase in the price.Milk and dairy products are of outmost importance inthe diet of human populations, especially due to theirexceptional role in providing calcium resources to thebody, and calcium is the main mineral that constructsbones and teeth; therefore, its deficiency can seriouslyaffect public health, especially the youth, and as aresult, future of the society. Any decrease in the bonemineral density, even minimal, in the large scale of asociety can lead to a public health catastrophe,especially in the older ages. So, providing milk anddairy products that gives enough calcium content to allthe age groups, especially to the youth should be apriority of health policy to any nation.