Kathie Canning

Kathie Canning, former editor-in-chief of Dairy Foods, is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience in the trade publication sector. Her experience includes leadership positions on a number of food and beverage publications for both processor and retail audiences. She is a graduate of the University of Toledo and is also certified as an Editor in the Life Sciences by the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences.

It’s cultured dairy’s time to shine

Dollar sales rose steeply in most retail cultured dairy categories.

Kathie Canning

April 19, 2021

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers ate at home more often during the past year — and many of them baked and cooked up a storm, too. That reality translated into rosy sales at retail for a number of cultured dairy categories.

Sustainability efforts going beyond the dairy plant doors

Kathie Canning

April 6, 2021

Conversations tied to dairy processor sustainability typically focus on plant-level efforts such as wastewater reduction or reuse, energy-efficiency-minded improvements and recyclable product packaging.

Cultured dairy category is on-trend and growing

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and some on-trend innovation on the part of dairy processors, consumer demand for cultured dairy products is strong.

Kathie Canning

March 31, 2021

Cultured dairy products, dairy products fermented with lactic acid bacteria, have been around for absolutely ages. The COVID-19 pandemic and a bit of innovation on the part of dairy processors, however, have combined to build consumer demand in a number of cultured dairy segments during the past year or so.

The quest for sugar reduction in dairy products

Consumers want to have their cake and eat it, too — and dairy processors have more sweetener options than ever to meet their expectations.

Kathie Canning

March 26, 2021

Back in 2016, FDA announced an update to the Nutrition Facts label. As part of that update, the agency called for food and beverage manufacturers to list "added sugars" instead of only "total sugars."

‘Gouda’ news for retail cheese

Both natural and processed cheese posted double-digit dollar sales growth in the 52 weeks ending Jan. 24, 2021.

Kathie Canning

March 17, 2021

The past year saw reduced demand for cheese on the foodservice side, thanks to widespread pandemic-related restaurant closures and indoor dining bans. However, the picture was much brighter on the retail cheese side.

Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese boasts fresh-from-the-farm appeal

The company makes high-quality fresh cheeses from milk produced on its on-site farm.

Kathie Canning

March 10, 2021

For many cheese producers, sourcing milk from farms within a small radius, often 100 miles or so, is very important. Doing so not only boosts sustainability by slashing transport miles, but also helps to ensure freshness.

Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese’s plant is a model of sustainability

Powered by green energy, the company’s cheese plant transforms fresh milk into handcrafted fresh cheese in hours instead of days.

Kathie Canning

March 3, 2021

The first thing most visitors see as they draw near to the fresh cheese plant operated by Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese LLC is a colorful, hand-painted 52-square-foot mural depicting the unique farm-to-consumer journey of the family-run company's products.

Are you ready to market to — and hire — Generation Z?

Kathie Canning

February 23, 2021

Almost two decades ago, marketing companies, news outlets and market research firms across the country issued a warning to American marketers and employers: The oldest millennials soon would be coming of age, and the rest of us had better prepare for it.

Hot times for frozen novelties

Dollar and unit sales realized double-digit gains during the 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2020.

Kathie Canning

February 18, 2021

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has many consumers reaching for small indulgences to brighten their days. That reality has been a boon to the frozen novelties category, which Chicago-based market research firm IRI breaks into three subcategories: frozen novelties, ice cream/ice milk desserts and ice pop novelties.

On-trend RTD beverages keep ‘em thirsting for more

A global pandemic and consumers’ desire for better-for-you offerings bode well for growth in the RTD coffee, tea and juice segments.

Kathie Canning

February 8, 2021

The ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea segment is decidedly no longer a niche market within the United States. The segment racked up retail sales of almost $7 billion during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 9, 2020, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI.