Powdered milk is a vital ingredient in infant formula and also used in a wide a range of baked goods and confectionary products.

For nearly 85 years, the Iowa-based dairy has put an emphasis on the consumer. She is the one who shops, buys, serves and repurchases the company’s milk and dairy foods again and again. CEO Miriam Erickson Brown insists that every consumer has a great experience with her products every time.

Makers of breakfast cereals are natural allies of milk processors. Athletic organizations help to promote chocolate milk. And milk processors, using industry-funded research, are developing high-protein, valued-added beverages.

In March, two national associations representing dairy processors and dairy producers expressed their opposition to legislation in Congress that would allow the interstate sales of raw milk.

An analysis of the global dairy industry by Rabobank, New York, forecasts an easing of global milk pricing through June. Rabobank’s Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory group said that the exportable dairy supply rose strongly in the last three months of 2013, and is expected to continue into 2014 as producers respond to improved margins through high milk prices and falling feed costs.

 The future is bright for the aseptic packaging of dairy and processed foods in North America. That’s the conclusion of a 2012 study by the research firm Markets and Markets.  

The dairy industry thrives on tradition. Independent dairies have built long-term relationships with consumers that are passed from generation to generation. Family-owned regional dairies rely on these loyalties.

 If you want to cash in on the protein trend, then you have to choose the right dairy-based ingredient. Understand the functionality of dairy ingredients and how they will interact during processing. 

The dairy industry is promoting milk’s role in building muscle. But that alone won’t increase consumption. Packaging, flavors and channels of distribution have to pull their weight, too.

 By supporting dairy farmers and creating a pool of milk for processors, we improve the condition of animals, provide jobs and develop nutritious dairy foods and beverages.