Hitting media in full force come this January is a new consumer produce campaign-Fruits & Veggies-More Matters-that’s reinforcing what consumers already know: eat more fruits and vegetables. The new produce

This past year has been one of the most challenging for dairy foods formulators, as price sensitivity is at an all-time high.

Choosing quality cocoa gives you something to talk about.

Once Again, Thanks Starbucks

A roundtable discussion with suppliers of satiating ingredients.

An update on fiber and dairy

According to the National Coffee Association, New York, 55% of U.S. adults say that they consume coffee on a daily basis. More importantly, daily consumption of gourmet coffee beverages has jumped to an unprecedented high with 17% of the overall adult population partaking, up from 14% in 2007. Many of these gourmet beverages include a dairy component.

FDA does not recognize the term functional foods, but the industry certainly does. Datamonitor estimates that the average U.S. consumer now spends $90 a year on functional foods. Dairy foods are a leading delivery vehicle for numerous functional ingredients. 

Innovative cultured dairy products make it challenging for retailers to stock anything else but dairy foods in their refrigerated dairy cases. It’s an exciting time for the cultured dairy products category;for yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, dips and sour cream, as formulators have is covered that these dairy foods are ideal carriers for many of the better-for-ingredients that consumers are seeking. This, of course, is on top of the fact that cultured dairy products are inherently a great source of nutrients-high-quality protein, calcium and more.

Dairy foods have a long history of using ingredients and processes that assist with maintaining product quality and performance. Ingredient inclusion is usually apparent by their listing on the ingredient statement;processes can go undetected. The ingredients, collectively called stabilizers, are either carbohydrates or proteins, or unique blends of both. Sometimes dairy foods manufacturers rely on “stock” stabilizing ingredients; other times they will have a proprietary blend developed for a specific application. Dairy Foods talked with eight suppliers of stabilizing ingredientsto provide you with updates on application, innovation, pricing and regulatory trends.