July 17 – Processors are going green with gusto, as is evident during my many visits around the country so far this year. Programs to save fuel, reduce waste, combine shipments, reuse otherwise wasted water and energy, new packaging – all these ideas are in play at dairy companies nationwide. Of course, being the fiscally responsible institutions that they are, dairy companies for the most part have been doing a lot of these things, in one form or another, for many years, simply to improve their bottom line in the face of unstable raw milk and ingredient pricing and the general rising cost of doing business. The swift upsurge in energy costs just kicked it all into high gear, and finally shook awake any stragglers out there. It’s really amazing to me how much more processors are able to squeeze out of the resources they have. I had many fine examples to show during my presentations on sustainability and energy use at the IDFA’s recent Milk Technology Conference (see my slides at http://www.idfa.org/meetings/previous.cfm). So the folks at the ops level have it all going on sustainability-wise. Meanwhile, the supplier community has been launching its own innovations, especially in the area of packaging, what with downgauging, corn-based PLA plastics and other earth-friendlier materials. The latest effort in this arena is the new square plastic milk jug in which the folks at Ohio’s Superior Dairy are starting to send milk to some Wal-Mart stores. This new design allows the shipping department to do away with the traditional plastic milk crate (which are expensive and have become targets of mass theft) and stack them in greater numbers on pallets, allowing more to be loaded into delivery trucks per shipment, thus saving energy. I remember when the folks who designed the fillers to handle this new jug explained the concept here at our offices way back when. We were eager to see the innovative new design in use. Unfortunately, early reports indicate the square milk jug may not be all its creators had hoped. Consumers are complaining the jug is difficult to pour and prone to spills, suggesting to me there wasn’t adequate focus grouping on the design before it was released to the public. Stores are countering with on-floor demos of how best to pour the new jug – tip it while it’s on the table, don’t pick it up. But come on, most folks have enough things to worry about in their lives without having to relearn how to pour a basic glass of milk. 

My message to the jug maker is, get that thing back in the shop, fix the spout, convene some test panels and make sure it passes muster before you put it out there again. This is a great idea, but someone dropped the ball somewhere. Get the problem fixed before it’s too late to counter a bad street rep. – J.D.