First District Association accelerates cheese production with world’s longest, three-story cheese belt.   

Through major expansion, First District Association readies itself for the next century. It invested  $200 million to update and expand plant and product capacity so “the cooperative is set up to thrive in the next 100 years,” CEO Bob Huffman relays.

Whey Protein Phospholipid Concentrate (WPPC), a low-value coproduct, is currently being examined as a source of nutritional and functional ingredients. 

Joe Scimeca, Ph.D., senior vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs for the Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), issued the following statement on FDA’s decision to permit the use of milk protein concentrate (MPC), milk protein isolate (MPI) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) in products labeled “high protein milk”:

The facility produces whey protein concentrate.

In early March, the state of West Virginia passed a new law making it easier for its citizens to purchase raw milk. To celebrate the passage of the legislation, one lawmaker shared a toast of raw milk with his colleagues. It may have been just a coincidence, but many of the lawmakers ended up getting sick in the ensuing days.

 The Massachusetts-based dairy cooperative sells 20% of its nonfat dry milk,  60% of its whey protein concentrate and 95% of its whey permeate to more than 30 countries.