Dairy Foods Blog

A deeper dive into the top 100 dairy processors

Our exclusive ranking of North America’s largest dairy processors shows the sales, brands, products and plant locations. Here, I look at the companies through a lens of ownership and productivity.

James Carper

August 4, 2017

Coverage of our 24th annual ranking of the largest dairy processors in North America is available here. Nestle USA once again heads the list and Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery holds down the No. 100 spot.

Milk butter cheese photo courtesy of Edlong Dairy Technologies

Dairy green

Sharing progress on sustainability is critical for dairy foods industry

The dairy industry is making significant strides in environmental stewardship, animal care and adherence to values that align with dairy consumers.

Tammy Anderson-Wise

July 27, 2017

For dairy processors, choosing more sustainable materials and focusing on efforts to reduce food waste are important ways to connect to consumers and customers alike.

The crystal bowl

Predictions for the next new things in ice cream

Expect to see more descriptive words in ice cream flavor labels, like toasted almonds. And could pekmez be the next big ethnic flavor in frozen desserts?

July 14, 2017

What’s hot in the ice cream category? Author Rachel Murkett sees more descriptive flavor labels, increased use of natural sugars and higher purchase rates of non-dairy ice cream.

Dairy Foods’ multiplatform options include print, digital and live events

This issue is full of data about companies providing equipment, ingredients, packaging and services to your dairy processing operation

Tom Imbordino

July 12, 2017

This Annual Buyers Guide and Sourcebook is your one source for information about suppliers of ingredients, equipment, packaging and services. You also will find updates from several of the leading purchasing groups, the most current listing of associations supporting dairy processing and FISA’s list of distributors serving sanitary processing.

Print milk's protein content on bottle caps writes Mark Farmer in Dairy Foods

A cap-ital idea

It's time for milk processors to tap into the cap

Try this: use the bottle cap to promote milk’s protein content.

Mark Farmer

June 19, 2017

Many consumers do not realize that milk is a good source of high-quality protein. To educate shoppers, use the cap on a gabletop carton or a bottle to promote milk’s protein content.

Kids at play

MilkPEP’s Milk It! campaign shakes up the norm

Milk has lost ground among children. More than 500 million gallons of milk were lost to declining consumption in the age group 2 to 17.

Miranda Abney

June 12, 2017

MilkPEP’s new Milk It! Campaign meets children where they play (on YouTube, cable TV and at grassroots events) and to support them as they make daily decisions about what to drink. The goal: build lifelong milk drinkers.

Industry comes together to celebrate National Dairy Month

One company is strong. Many companies together are stronger. With suppliers, customers and trade associations speaking as one voice, a united dairy industry is at its strongest. Join your colleagues in celebrating National Dairy Month.

James Carper

June 9, 2017

It’s easy to get wrapped up in your day-to-day tasks. Perhaps you are testing finished products or running new concepts through a pilot plant. Or maybe you are making sales calls or purchasing ingredients. Whatever your job, you just want to get through today.

Dairy processors must watch trends in farming, retailing

Dairy processors deal with all three of these constituencies as buyers, sellers and brand marketers. Your success depends upon the quality of your relationships with each.

James Carper

May 5, 2017

There is a lot more to successful processing of dairy foods than heating raw milk and putting it into bottles or turning it into cheese, yogurt or ice cream. There are factors in play far beyond pasteurization times and temperatures.

Alland-Robert-Senegal-acaica-gum-Kim-Decker-Dairy-Foods-group.jpg

Sticky business

On the trail of acacia gum: Part 3. How is an acacia orchard like a vineyard?

Alland & Robert can trace the ingredient to the plot where the gum was harvested.

Kimberly Decker

April 21, 2017

Dairy Foods Ingredients Editor Kim Decker concludes the account of to Senegal to see how acacia gum is harvested and process.

Alland-Robert-Senegal-acaica-gum-Kim-Decker-Dairy-Foods-0229.jpg

Sticky business

On the trail of acacia gum: Part 2. A visit to the orchard

The acacia tree can produce 250 grams (a little more than one-half pound) of gum annually.

Kimberly Decker

April 14, 2017

Dairy Foods Ingredients Editor Kim Decker is back with Part 2 of her trip to Senegal to see how acacia gum is harvested and process. She finds that climate change is introducing novel challenges to acacia farming.