Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

Welcome to the Dairy Top 100, Dairy Foods’ industry-leading list of the Top 100 dairy companies/dairy processors in North America.

“The Heat is On” is an upbeat song recorded by Glenn Frey for the 1984 movie, “Beverly Hills Cop,”  which starred a 23-year-old Eddie Murphy as a street-smart Detroit detective who visits Beverly Hills, Calif., to solve the murder of his best friend. In the world of dairy operations, heat exchangers are “bringing the heat” and “solving” pasteurization and sterilization challenges in raw milk, making it safe to drink and extending the shelf life of milk, yogurt, creamers, and more.

With nine years at BNP Media, parent company of Dairy Foods, I relish that there’s always something new and exciting to learn about in the multifaceted, $4.5 trillion food and beverage industry.

Achieving ingredient traceability depends on many factors such as longstanding, sustainable relationships with farmers and suppliers, accurate data collection and record keeping, as well as the type of raw material needed. 

When it comes to calcium, protein, vitamins, and minerals, no single beverage can beat the all-natural goodness of a cold glass of fresh milk. Yet, while milk production is up, dairy milk consumption is down by 4%, while the consumption of non-dairy milk rose by 5%.

Today’s health-conscious consumers are trying to live their best lives. As a result, they're reading labels and discovering that cheese, yogurt, drinkable yogurt, kefir, and other fermented dairy products not only provide satiety but are proven to benefit digestive health.

Nothing says versatility like cheese. With a plethora of flavors, types, and textures, cheese resonates with consumers because it can be eaten alone as a snack, paired with crackers and sausage on a charcuterie board, used as a topping on pizza, as slices on char-grilled hamburgers, layered in lasagna and much more.

Lisa Jackson, Director of Marketing at FlavorSum, joins Dairy Foods for Episode 41 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast and discusses the wide range of ingredients and flavors creating “buzz” on social media and beyond.

From a spicy new cheese flavor, Creamy Jalapeño, The Laughing Cow’s first new wedge variety in five years, to Danone North America’s snackable REMIX line of yogurts with epic toppings and mix-ins, today’s dairy cases feature All-American flavors along with spicy-sweet flavors, fruit flavors and botanicals plucked from nature.