Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) has created an online hub to serve as a one-stop shop for resources that support researchers, dairy industry leaders, students and others. 

The purpose of this hub is to continue supporting those who innovate with dairy to produce products that drive sales and trust across the industry. 

“In trying to understand the past and the need of the present, we decided to compile our research in one place to make it easily accessible,” said Emil Nashed, executive vice president of product research and development at DMI. “This allows us to direct the industry toward research that has been conducted in the past and help the industry to generate new ideas for the future.”

 Some resources available to users are:

• Updates on checkoff-funded research being conducted.
• A dairy labeling guide with approved nutritional claims for dairy products, curated by National Dairy Council.
• The annual call for proposals, where researchers can apply for funding to support public dairy food research.
• The annual DMI new product competition for U.S undergraduate and graduate students who develop and innovate with dairy to produce new products.

The DMI Product Research and Development team is constantly working alongside university researchers to gain insight into dairy, leading to innovative products reaching the marketplace.

The team frequently collaborates with the National Dairy Foods Research Center program that receives national and local checkoff support. Its six centers encompass the expertise and resources of more than 20 universities.

“It’s imperative that we have all of the pieces of the puzzle here, from resources on pre-competitive research to resources for entrepreneurs who are just starting out,” said Dr. Stephanie Ropiak, director of product research at DMI. “We’ve always positioned ourselves as being backed by science and that’s what this website showcases. Our tools aim to support the dairy industry by providing the latest science.”

Dr. Rohit Kapoor, vice president of product research at DMI, said continuing to support the industry with innovation and resources supports a longtime goal of dairy farmers who fund the dairy checkoff.

“Our dairy farmers recognize the importance of fueling innovation for the dairy industry and we are very grateful for their continued support,” said Kapoor. “This webpage is one more example of how the dairy checkoff can help the industry with comprehensive, actionable information to help people innovate, whether they’re in academics, the industry or a student.”