Articles by Brian Berk

Allison Leibovich and Regina Draper of Wayzata, Minn.-based Cargill join us for Episode 59 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast where they discuss ingredient reduction and free from.

Despite a decline in the ready-to-drink (RTD) category, bottled fruit juice blends grew 8% YoY to $490 million, with unit sales up 4% to 124 million. Bottled pineapple juice rose 15% to $106 million, and smoothies surged 43% to $64.6 million.

Let’s go beyond just plant-based milk and take a look at some of the dairy alternative beverages that were introduced this year.

Cultured dairy is hitting all the right notes in the food industry, drawing comparisons to top music acts. Fueled by health trends and viral social media, yogurt and cottage cheese are soaring in popularity. Recent data shows yogurt sales have surged by 14% over the past year, reaching a remarkable $12.44 billion. Clearly, cultured dairy is more than just a trend—it’s a true sensation.

PACK EXPO celebrated its 30th anniversary with the largest event in history, featuring over 1 million square feet of exhibit space and more than 30,000 attendees. Held by PMMI, the show welcomed over 2,300 exhibitors and 50,000 professionals, showcasing numerous products for dairy processors.

Keith Seiz, ingredient marketing expert for Erie, Colo.-based National Honey Board, joins us for Episode 58 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast, where he discusses honey and its relationship to dairy products.

PACK EXPO just completed its 30th anniversary trade show in Las Vegas. We sit down with Laura Thompson, vice president, Trade Shows for PMMI, who reveals some interesting packaging trends..

The future of packaging can mean a lot of different things. It can mean new technologies that were just showcased at last month’s PACK EXPO show in Las Vegas, areas of growth for the industry, the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, or efforts in sustainability, just to name a few. 

Cincinnati-based Graeter’s Ice Cream has won the first-ever Dairy Foods Product of the Year for its Skyline Spice Ice Cream. The award honors the best new dairy product introduced from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.

When it comes to ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea beverages, easily the biggest story on the positive side of the ledger is RTD cold brew.