IRI’s three-day Summit will focus hot button growth issues of marketing, marketing research, brand management, category management, merchandising and advertising professionals.

Rather than curse the younger generation who are in the dark about how to cook, it’s better to light a candle and show them how to “get ’er done.” That’s the approach taken by two dairy companies, Kraft Foods and Land O Lakes. Dairy Foods honored each with an Editors’ Choice award in our Best New Dairy Products of 2012 program.

Give the shopper what she wants. A survey showed that high-quality ingredients were important to consumers, so Brown Cow, Antioch, Calif., re-did its lids.

Read about advertising, promotions and certifications in the dairy industry.

The St. Louis Cardinals played the Miami Marlins in Florida to open the 2012 baseball season on April 4. Hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jack are standard fare on stadium menus. But when we want a cold one, we mean ice cream. Which teams have official ice creams or partnerships?

A cutting in an ice cream plant is rather like reading the reviews after the opening-night performance of a concert. The quality control team (the critics) looks at the finished product and packaging created by the production team (the orchestra). QC reviews whether the process went according to plan.

The Hood Sportsmanship Scholarships awarded by Lynnfield, Mass.-based HP Hood is now in its third year of recognizing high school seniors in New England.

Goldenrod Dairy, Symsonsia, Ky., took the Milk Mustache Tour to Bowling Green, Ky.’s Diddle Arena for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s girls “sweet 16” basketball tournament.