it seemed like any other day in the school cafeteria – except for one small change. Instead of the usual gable-top milk packages, students at 18 Colorado elementary and middle schools were offered white and chocolate milk in aseptic packaging during the 2015-2016 school year. The response from students was enthusiastic.

Education, and the ability of students to learn and improve their lot in life, is part of the bedrock known as the American Dream. A growing body of evidence suggests that academic and lifelong success can be negatively impacted — not by lack of innate ability or failure to hit the books but by inadequate intake of nutritious foods.

Editor’s note: This letter to the editor by Mike McCloskey is in response to the January The Editor’s Page. McCloskey is the CEO of Select Milk Producers, a co-owner of fairlife llc, this magazine’s 2016 Dairy Processor of the Year.

Neal Gottlieb, the founder of Three Twins Ice Cream, needed more capacity to keep up with demand for his organic ice cream. His facility in Petaluma, Calif., was maxed out. Adding shifts was not feasible. Gottlieb bid the work to co-packers but said their quotes were “sky-high” and the quality of the test runs was a “disaster.”

Three Twins Ice Cream has grown into the leading brand of organic ice cream in just 10 years. In the course of a decade, its gone from a scoop shop to owning manufacturing facilities in California and Wisconsin. A Three Twins cause-marketing program has conserved 8,000 acres of rain forest in South America. Through another program, the company donates 1% of its sales to environmental groups.

Last year was an exciting year for the milk industry. We saw more product innovation, sustained growth of chocolate milk and whole milk sales, and resumed growth of organic milk.

Fonterra puts dairy foods on the breakfast table in China; Gay Lea Foods celebrated a banner year in 2016. The Australian dairy a2 Milk Co. expands U.S. distribution. 

At today’s Dairy Forum, new president and CEO of IDFA Michael Dykes said he will build coalitions with related parties to strengthen the dairy industry.