The Dairy Research Institute challenged college students nationwide to develop a dairy-based beverage that provides tangible innovation opportunities for the dairy industry and aligns with beverage growth areas. The top three teams were honored at the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Annual meeting in Phoenix. 

Before Facebook and Twitter, consumers used good old word-of-mouth to tell their friends about good (or bad) experinces and products. Now, brands not only foster relationships with consumers by inviting candid feedback, but also encourage consumer-to-consumer conversation beyond their control. Mentions of products can be “hashtagged” and tracked across social media networks. These new outlets helped transform a once informal marketing tactic into a measurable campaign form. Here’s how it works.

Food and beverage packaging — notably aseptic packaging — is one area where dairy brands have dramatically improved the footprint of the dairy supply chain, achieving savings through reduced energy and distribution costs, while increasing capacity for retailers. Less obvious are the environmental improvements that dairy producers can achieve on the plant level through processing efficiencies.
 

In the 150th anniversary year of the first pasteurization test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard, it was both a thrill and an honor to hear the GHG (greenhouse gas) calculators developed by the Innovation Center for US Dairy described as the “must-have” equipment for dairy plants.

Since 1944, the U.S. dairy industry has been producing a gallon of milk with 90% less land, 65% less water, 76% less manure, and a 63% smaller carbon footprint. The Fuel Up to Play 60 program is recognized nationwide for improving nutrition in schools, with an emphasis on the importance of physical fitness. Through their checkoff, dairy farmers have made a $250 million commitment over five years to this program alone. And this has shown tangible results.

Grocery retailers are getting more technology savvy and leveraging their capabilities to mine extensive data about their shoppers. Everything from how many times a shopper visits to which items they purchase the most is captured and used to build and enhance their customer loyalty programs as well as increase shopper frequency and basket size. Many CPG companies are tapping into the availability of retailers’ highly sophisticated data. 

First, offer free breakfast to all American students.  Second, put breakfast right in every classroom in the country.  Third, give the kids something they like. They like flavored milk and juice. 

Earth day was a powerful First Act to what could be a wonderful stage production by drawing worldwide attention to universal environmental issues and setting the stage for changes needed in our own consumption patterns.  Now, our collective task is to make sure the Second Act is just as strong. In this regard, government, institutions and corporations here in the United States must now play leading roles because the simple truth is that America lives higher on the energy scale than any other country in the world 

If you're a cheese manufacturer and a cheese buyer has requested something not currently made by your company, how do you respond? The choice you make may have lasting impact on your long-term relationship with the buyer.Don't let yourself and your company be caught unprepared.