Like a sign above the bar at my favorite watering hole that says “Free Beer Tomorrow,” I feel like economists have been telling us that “Recession Starts Tomorrow” for more than a year now.

Milk has a proven legacy of providing health and wellness benefits through its 13 essential nutrients that solidifies its place in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and has earned endorsements from leading health organizations.

Prior to joining Dairy Foods one year ago, I served as editor-in-chief of a music instrument magazine. The industry had been steadily strumming along, pun intended, for years, until a June 22, 2017 Washington Post article, titled: “Why my guitar gently weeps. The slow, secret death of the six-string electric. And why you should care.”

Consumer demand for cheese as one of the favorite snacks globally has risen following the pandemic. 

As of Jan.1, sesame became the ninth food ingredient, as well as milk, required to be labeled as an allergen on packaged foods and dietary supplements.

Every process industry goes through the same issue, “What do I do with the product that remains in the piping system after the process is complete?”

It’s “ice” cream for heaven’s sake — the only food designed, formulated, manufactured, stored, distributed and sold with the express intent to be consumed frozen. It’s not frozen pizza, nor a pack of frozen peas, Ice cream is different.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased consumer interest in immune health and sales of probiotic foods and beverages. Circana (previously IRI and NPD) reports that probiotic beverages have increased both dollar and unit sales for the past three years, and probiotics were found in over 30 beverage subcategories.

With ever-increasing pressure on supply chains to improve cost structure and better optimize processes, a major focus has been on improving efficiencies. This includes the use of inland ports.

Packaging is essential to maintaining and protecting the quality of the cheese product as well as attracting the eye of consumers. The Center for Dairy Research is investigating methods to produce bioplastics from dairy waste and looking into producing pure lactic acid, a renewable and biodegradable bioplastic, from the biofermentation of cheese whey.