the most important criteria for selection of foods in yazd

Background: selection of the right foods is the first step to have a healthy society. food selection criteria depend on the food characteristics and food culture in an area. one of the most important factors in selection of the food items is the individuals' social differences and gender issues. methods: in this paper, 500 people were selected from yazd city. later, this population was categorized into four categories of 125 and the types of food choices were investigated in each category. the data were analyzed to evaluate the groups using spss 16. results: the results showed that the most important factor in selecting a food type was brand, whereas, the least important one was awards and lotteries. the price is the most important criterion for shopping in downtown areas and its rate was higher in men. conclusion: it can be concluded that the brand, price, and physical and emotional characteristics of food items had greater impact on buyers.