Episode 1, “The Changing Consumer,” focuses on the forum’s live consumer focus group, which featured a panel of unbiased consumers who could be identified as what the dairy community refers to as conflicted health seekers, sincerely looking to make the right choices for themselves and their families, Midwest Dairy said. They discussed their perceptions of food, how they make their purchasing decisions and their overall thoughts about dairy.

Based on panelists’ comments shared during the focus group, it was clear that while each made different decisions based on their lifestyle, most decisions were made based on choosing foods and dairy products that align with their personal values, Midwest Dairy noted.

Episode 2, “Innovation and the Future of Food,” centers around learnings from Mike Lee, food designer and founder of Alpha Food Labs and The Future Market, who shared insights and research on the 21st Century Eaters, how they choose food based on their values, and the trend toward personalization and customization.

“Dairy on the Air gives us a platform to have open and honest conversations about what is impacting our industry,” Lentsch said. “We’re eager to have the opportunity to discuss trends and insights that push us outside our comfort zone and help us think a little differently in order to move the dairy industry forward and build demand for dairy foods.

“We learned a lot of valuable insights from the Dairy Experience Forum about not only how we bring our products to market, but how we can have more engaging, values-based conversations to meet the consumer where he or she is at,” he continued. “We wanted to use these first two episodes of ‘Dairy on the Air’ to share what we heard with those who couldn’t make it to the forum, and as a way to continue the conversation.”