Dairy Foods Columnists

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There is no more critical time than the first 1,000 days of a child’s life to set a strong foundation for their overall cognition and brain development.

In my history with this column, I have written about traditional fermented dairy topics like yogurts, sour cream, kefirs, and the ingredients they use. 

Water ices and sorbets (a.k.a. “sorbetto” when presented for sale/consumption alongside gelato) can be considered sherbets without dairy ingredients. Water ices are compositions of water, sugar, corn syrup, and color/flavor. Sorbets are “upscale water ices” using fruit primarily as the source of solids. 

This year, I am celebrating 25 years as a consultant to the U.S. dairy industry, and 20 years as a columnist for Dairy Foods magazine. 

Milk alternatives and plant-based products are featured twice in this issue: the Outlook Report and Market Trends. There has been much discussion about this topic thus far in 2023. 

The dairy industry is on the cusp of a new era of packaging innovation, driven largely by sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets that require investment in new packaging solutions to limit food waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce landfilling. 

While not quite as envisioned in “I, Robot” or “The Jetsons,” robots are becoming increasingly common in food processing. 

The specialty cheese category is continuing to grow as consumers are looking for new and interesting cheeses with unique flavors and attributes.

Ultra-filtration, also known as UF, is a filtration process that uses a membrane to selectively concentrate protein, fat and insoluble salts. 

U.S. sales of plant-based milks reached $2.8 billion in 2022, according to the Plant-Based Foods Association. “Plant-based milk remains the largest segment in the plant-based foods industry, with 40.6% of U.S. households purchasing plant-based milks, and an astounding 75.7% of consumers repeating their purchases,” the organization stated.