With many U.S. consumers picking up cooking/baking at home during COVID-19 shutdowns, the butter category seemed to be on easy street in 2020. But this year, the category is facing hazards on the road.
With 175 years under its belt, dairy giant HP Hood LLC knows a thing or two about making dairy products. It operates 13 plants across New England to create its numerous product lines.
A quick glance around any major retailer would reveal plant-based brands positioned as alternatives across all major dairy categories. What used to be seen by many as a fad has clearly gained some legs.
It is said that we eat with our eyes first — just look at any cooking competition show’s focus on a dish’s presentation. And one of the first things to notice about food’s appearance is its color.
Paul McCartney famously bemoaned getting older when he asked, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?” Now almost 80 years old, McCartney still spent his last decade on tour (this author saw him perform in 2014) and often credits a healthy diet for his longevity.
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.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers already read labels to confirm food items met their standards — whether in terms of sustainability or nutrition. However, the health and safety concerns that defined the tumultuous past year-plus cemented consumer interest not only in the source of the foods they eat, but also in the ingredients that make up such items.
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.”
Danone North America is a dairy behemoth — coming in at No. 4 on Dairy Foods’ 2020 Dairy 100 list of the largest dairy processors in North America. And it operates 13 plants to manufacture its many product lines. One of its largest — a 440,000-square-foot facility located in Minster, Ohio — is where the company produces Activia offerings, along with Danimals, Light + Fit, DanActive, Oikos, and Dannon.