Consumers in their 20s and 30s often start to think about the future. They start their career, figure out where they want to live, step up their skincare routine and exercise to stay healthy and fight the visible signs of aging — but do they know that diet also impacts aging?

Dairy Foods has a long tradition of devoting part of the August issue to our “Plant of the Year” winner. Previously, we’d nominate only the dairy plants we’d profiled in the past 18 months, and allowed readers to choose the winning facility. But this year we decided to do things a little differently: We opened up nominations to any exceptional U.S. dairy plant.

According to “The Future of Nutrition, Health and Wellness,” a 2021 report from global market research firm Mintel, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked rising interest in holistic health among consumers worldwide. That reality bodes well for the growth of immunity-supporting foods and beverages.

The dairy packaging sector is becoming an increasingly active center of innovation. Growing shopper interest in sustainability, along with changing eating habits, is resulting in the steady development of more eco-friendly designs and packaging in a wider array of shapes and sizes.

Taking steps to manage sustainability along the supply chain makes good business sense for dairy processors. Indeed, 2018 research by The Nielsen Co. LLC, New York, reveals that 81% of global consumers and 69% of those in the United States say that it’s very important or extremely important that companies implement programs to help the environment.

Food and beverage manufacturers have made great strides during the past couple of decades when it comes to sustainability, and dairy processors are no exception. In fact, many — if not most — dairy processors have set ambitious sustainability goals and are working hard to attain them.

A company’s environmental sustainability story — or lack thereof — is increasingly influencing consumer purchasing habits. In fact, a recent survey from IBM Institute for Business Value found that 54% of consumers “are willing to pay a premium for brands that are sustainable and/or environmentally responsible.”

One might think that consumers would have put sustainability on the back burner amid the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that appears to be far from the case.

When it comes to their sustainability efforts, dairy processors would be wise to count product packaging as a critical element. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, containers and packaging make up a major portion of the United States’ municipal solid waste, amounting to 82.2 million tons in 2018 alone (the latest year for which data are available).