If William McCormack, business development manager for nutrition at Wauconda, Ill.-based Synergy Flavors, noticed anything at the recent Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif., it's that the current fad for plant-based dairy alternatives is anything but a fad.

If you'e ready for the day when FDA mandates that all food and beverage labels stipulate not only how much total sugar is in each serving, but how much of that sugar is "added," take a bow: Prepping for the "added sugars" deadline has been no mean feat.

You can learn a lot by hanging out at your local coffee or tea shop. You can learn, for example, what all the cool kids are drinking.

Texturally speaking, "ice cream" is something of a misnomer. Yes, consumers expect the frozen treat to be creamy; but any hint of actual iciness, either in the scoop or on the palate, qualifies as an unmistakable quality flaw.

Texturally speaking, "ice cream" is something of a misnomer. Yes, consumers expect the frozen treat to be creamy; but any hint of actual iciness, either in the scoop or on the palate, qualifies as an unmistakable quality flaw.

Over the past few years, freezer cases have been filling up with a new class of creamy, dreamy treats that bear all the hallmarks of sinful indulgence while delivering more pluses (think protein and fiber) and fewer minuses (added sugar or "artificial" anything), to boot.

Ingredient companies serving up "clean" options to their dairy-biz customers can rest assured: The ball will be in their court as we roll into 2019.

An old Reese's Peanut Butter Cups commercial tagline calls chocolate and peanut butter "two great tastes that taste great together." And it’s right. But chocolate and peanut butter arguably can't hold a candle to chocolate and dairy.

We're almost two decades into the 21st century and knee-deep in a near mania for all things "natural." At this point, is there any reason why a dairy developer would continue formulating with synthetic dyes?

Dairy processors that understand and optimize different dairy and plant based proteins will boost their odds for success.