Dairy Foods Columnists

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COVID-19 is real. It's wreaked havoc on society. Like most other industries, agriculture has taken a beating. Dairy processors, farmers and allied companies all have suffered and now face a new world of personal protective equipment, social distancing, self-isolation and other preventative measures.

I promise not to use the words unprecedented, uncertain, essential or new normal. I never want to hear those words again. The main part of my job is tracking, modeling and forecasting the supply, demand and prices of dairy products around the world.

After three years of negotiations, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will take effect on July 1. The U.S. dairy industry achieved its top two goals for USMCA, preserving our trade relationships in Mexico, our top export market, and reducing Canadian barriers to imported U.S. dairy products.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) are updated every five years to provide Americans with a roadmap for healthy eating. They also are the cornerstone recommendations used to develop federal food and nutrition programs.

The 2019 National Committee Interstate Milk Shippers (NCIMS) conference was held April 26 through May 1, 2019, in St. Louis. The NCIMS delegates worked diligently to align the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) Appendix T with the FDA Preventive Controls for Human Food rule for those plants manufacturing both Grade A and non-Grade A products.

The concern about shelf life is a reality for every food product. Most companies would like to add some time to the current shelf life while maintaining channel flexibility and acceptable sensory properties.

When we think about the life cycle of process equipment for a food plant, we put a lot of effort into the sanitary requirements of the design.