A new year is here, so it's time for fresh starts and lofty goals. For dairy processors, it's also a prime time to go after some untapped (or under-tapped) product development opportunities that are likely to resonate with consumers.

"Waste not, want not," an old adage proclaims. Still, waste - food waste, specifically - remains a huge issue in the United States.

This issue contains our annual "State of the Industry Report," which offers a snapshot of current and emerging trends and product development opportunities within each dairy segment.

Back in June, I wrote about the wave of consumer confusion resulting from the use of dairy-specific terminology such as "milk" and "yogurt" on the labels of dairy alternatives.

A decade or so ago, sustainability was largely viewed through an environmental lens. But that lens has since expanded to encompass much more.

The clean-label "trend" has been in the spotlight for quite some time now. According to a July press release from Innova Market Insights, almost 28% of global food and beverage launches that the market research firm recorded in 2018 used one or more "clean-label claims."

These days, a press release for a plant-based dairy alternative is almost as likely to hit my email inbox as one for a genuine dairy product.

When it comes to category-specific growth potential within the dairy space, most market research reports and forecasts seem to focus on finished dairy product categories such as ice cream, cheese and cultured products. But dairy ingredients also present an enormous growth opportunity for North American processors.

In recent years, much has been written and said about the need for transparency on the part of food and beverage companies. The more transparent the company, the greater the odds that consumers will trust it, and its brands.