James Carper

Dairy processing isn’t getting any easier. The business changes every day. Owners of dairy plants deal with new regulations, new equipment, new products and new hires.

Nestlé (based in Switzerland), Saputo (Canada) and Dean Foods (Dallas) are the three largest dairy processors in North America, according to the 21st annual Dairy 100.

Did you know your computer can fill a hungry child’s empty glass with fresh milk? No, you don’t have to connect a USB cable from a cow to your laptop. Instead, all you need to do is make a donation to the Great American Milk Drive.

A European yogurt maker saw potential in the United States and a U.S. food and beverage company wanted to be in the dairy business. When Theo Müller hitched itself to PepsiCo’s distribution juggernaut, the Muller Quaker Dairy brand became an overnight sensation.

"Dairy Made Easy" has 60 meatless recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. Authors Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek show how to make pizza, pasta, sandwiches, soups, salads and side dishes.

It’s nutritious, inexpensive, readily available and versatile. National Dairy Month is the time to reinforce to consumers the vitality of milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy foods.

Consumers want to know what’s in the milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream you make. If there is an ingredient or process they don’t like, they’ll let you know. Loudly.

Beverage consumers want low-fat, low-sugar and high-protein products made with natural ingredients, according to a new survey of dairy processors. And dairies plan to increase their production of beverages in single-serve formats (16 ounces or less). Beverage makers are using a wide variety of flavors, branching out from the traditional chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.

When an ice cream processor tells me, “We do things a little differently than most,” I think to myself, “That’s what they all say.” True, most dairies do create unique recipes and flavors, but it still comes down to processing, filling and packaging, and how many variations on those themes can there be?

Are you ready for cotton candy-flavored processed cheese? If that’s not your taste, how about green apple, banana or chocolate flavors?