In northwest Wisconsin, about 25 miles from the Minnesota border, Schuman Cheese makes award-winning cheeses with techniques borrowed from French and Italian cheesemakers.

Neal Schuman is perhaps the most ardent defender of Parmesan cheese in the United States. Incensed that some cheesemakers were adulterating grated Parm with cellulose, Schuman organized the True Cheese campaign, warning consumers and retailers that all was not right in shelf-stable grated Parmesan products.

Consumers love their ice cream and other frozen and refrigerated treats and prefer them in their most natural forms. There is still a strong desire to eat healthy, but for many, not if it means giving up the indulgence factor. Several ice cream brands have taken on this challenge, creating lines that cut back on calories and sugar but with the mouthfeel consumers expect from ice cream.

UB Real, Wilmington, N.C., makes UB Super, a high-protein powder nutritional shake that contains grass-fed whey protein. The non-GMO shake is gluten-, soy-, corn- and wheat-free, and contains no added hormones or added sugar.

Londonderry, N.H.-based Stonyfield introduced a line of Double Cream yogurts that are made with whole milk and cream.

Competing in the frozen dessert market can be tough, even more so during a time when so many consumers are paying close attention to labels and their food choices. Consumers are cutting back on desserts, choosing healthier options or reaching for ice cream when they want to indulge.

In 2014, Murray’s Cheese in New York City had an idea for a clothbound Cheddar modeled on classic British versions. And this year, after two years of development, the company launched Murray’s Clothbound Cheddar   –  a bright, lemony flavored Cheddar.

The dairy industry received good news on the regulatory front in August. The Food and Drug Administration granted enforcement discretion for the use and labeling of ultrafiltered (UF) milk in all standardized cheeses and related cheese products covered by the federal standards of identity.

Gelato is most commonly presented for sale in a dip shop as a semi-solid product characterized by intense color and flavoring. Composition of gelato varies widely and may be positioned as gourmet, super premium or other market terminologies.

Pack Expo International, hosted by PMMI, Reston, Va., is headed to the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 25 through 27. The event is expecting 30,000 attendees, including 5,000 international visitors from more than 125 countries, combined with 2,000-plus exhibiting companies. It will span over 800,000 net square feet of exhibit floor. In addition, this year the inaugural Healthcare Packaging Expo will be co-located with Pack Expo.

Process Expo, produced by the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA), is said to be the nation’s largest trade show that features technology and integrated solutions for all segments of the food and beverage industry.

Greek yogurt was not newly created. It was borrowed from the Mediterranean region. Might there be something else looming on the horizon for the taking if we just look beyond our shores?

Earlier this year, the European Union and Japan announced a trade agreement in principle that includes dairy market access to Japan. Europe is actively working to establish a trade deal with Mexico in which agriculture and dairy will no doubt be central components. New Zealand is renegotiating a trade agreement with China in large part to improve dairy access terms. New Zealand and Australia are pushing to implement a “Trans-Pacific Partnership light” with eight other countries including Mexico.

Minnesota dairy co-op Bongards Creameries will nearly double the size of its production facility in Humboldt, Tenn. The move will add 95 jobs.

Making cheese predates recorded history, but artisan cheesemaking in the U.S. is a relatively new industry. According to a 2016 American Cheese Society (ACS) report, there are more than 900 artisan, farmstead and specialty cheesemakers operating in the United States. While a few artisan cheesemakers have been in business for over 100 years, the average has been making cheese for only 15 years.

The U.S. arm of Arla, the Denmark-based dairy cooperative, is growing fast. The company has placement of its natural cheeses and cream cheese in 6,000 stores in the United States.

Ingredient solutions using whey proteins; Zero-calorie sweetener with added benefits; plus more from the IFT Show.

Probiotics are hot. Originally found primarily in dairy foods, probiotics now pop up in everything from pills to prunes. As competition mounts from other probiotic delivery vehicles, the dairy industry needs to continue to educate consumers about the benefits of dairy as a delivery vehicle for healthy bacteria.

Foreign body detection products; Analytical X-ray instrumentation and software; plus more!

Sustainable dairy packaging is nothing new. Lightweighting, or source reduction, remains an ongoing process. Container wall thickness is reduced and flexible structures are down-gauged. Source reduction not only conserves resources, but also cuts costs and carbon footprint.

Cups of yogurt travel down conveyors toward tray packagers or cartoners to be stacked on pallets and stored in a refrigerated warehouse. All of these steps serve to protect the product. This package-handling machinery is also a source of energy that dairy processors can recover and redeploy elsewhere in the plant.