Dairy Foods Columnists - Articles

Crisis preparedness demands supplier-customer cooperation

It is essential to establish a crisis preparedness plan with supply chain partners before any crisis event takes place. Here are some critical guidelines to follow.

Margaret Speich

March 6, 2017

Over the four years the U.S. Dairy Export Council has been working with U.S. dairy processors to build an overseas crisis readiness program, we’ve learned much.

Online training modules for hygienic design provide practical knowledge

3-A SSI introduced three new hygienic equipment design e-learning modules available for free.

Timothy Rugh

February 14, 2017

Where can food industry professionals interested in hygienic equipment design find great practical foundation knowledge? Technical educational programs offered by universities and/or related institutions account for a lot, if and where such specialized training exists.

Promoting the protein content of yogurt, cottage cheese

Consumers’ awareness of how much protein they need daily is low. For dairy marketers, here’s an opportunity to promote the protein content of yogurt, cottage cheese and cultured beverages.

Phillip S. Tong

February 8, 2017

Human Nutrition 101 has always told us that dietary protein is essential for health and wellness. Dietary proteins provide amino acids, the building blocks of structural and functional compounds we need to live healthy and active lives.

How to approach the call for a clean label

Certain ingredients allow ice cream to travel farther and recover from heat shock. But that doesn’t matter to the label-reading consumer. Here are some strategies for ice cream manufacturers to deliver a cleaner label.

Bruce Tharp

Steven Young

February 7, 2017

Consumer interest in clean labels (that is, the use of ingredients perceived to occur naturally in foods) has created a challenge to ice cream formulators.

Canada is up to no good with its trade policies

Canada is one of our top trading partners, but its flouting of its trade obligations is simply unacceptable. IDFA insists on fair treatment and immediate action by the U.S. government.

Beth Hughes

February 6, 2017

International trade was one of the recurring themes offered by President Donald Trump during his campaign and in subsequent remarks following his victory in November. He specifically focused on the need for strict enforcement of trade obligations with our trading partners, and promised that they would be made to play by the rules.

Water Quality Trading is a win-win solution

The EPA notes that nutrient-recovery technologies provide palpable and verifiable nutrient reductions, which can allow for the elimination of the uncertainty ratios.

Clay Detlefsen

January 11, 2017

Water quality trading (WQT) was introduced in the 1960s, and it’s a great concept. Since its introduction, WQT has been tried approximately 60 times around the world, but mostly here in the United States.

These keys can open the doors to FSMA’s kingdom

Some free training material is helpful yet confusing. So you will need to do additional editing and fine-tuning to create documents that comply with regulatory requirements.

Allen Sayler

January 10, 2017

The Food and Drug Administra-tion’s time-clock for enforcing the most important FSMA regulation, the “Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCHF)” started in mid-September 2016. As I write this in early December, it appears that FDA will be training its field investigators and regional milk specialists well past the end of 2016.

Understanding the basics: Techniques to attain a high cheese yield

To attain a high cheese yield, cheesemakers need to retain as much casein, fat and moisture as possible. Here are some techniques.

John A. Lucey Ph.D., Director, Center for Dairy Research

January 9, 2017

In an ideal world, all solids in the cheese vat would end up in the finished product. Unfortunately, this is not possible with our current cheesemaking methods.

Make the most of milkfat ingredients

Consumers’ perception of full-fat dairy products is changing as research gives a new appreciation for milkfat ingredients.

Susan Larson

January 6, 2017

Thanks to emerging studies, an ingredient like milkfat that was once taken out of food formulations due to health misconceptions is now getting appreciation.

Processors, suppliers should keep watch for newly approved beneficial fibers

The FDA currently recognizes seven fibers as having health benefits. The new definition is evolving. Keep watch for newly approved beneficial fibers so you can adjust formulas and labels accordingly.

January 5, 2017

Dairy foods aren’t naturally great sources of fiber, but many fiber ingredients are added to dairy foods. The new Nutrition Facts regulations have redefined fiber, increasing the Daily Value from 25 to 28 grams, and making the calculation of fiber content on the food label more complicated.