California Ag Network

Tag: National Dairy Council

  • Dairy Checkoff Unveils ‘Smart Swaps’ Initiative for Schools

    The dairy checkoff has introduced “Smart Swaps,” a dairy-focused initiative designed to help schools meet evolving nutrition standards and student expectations.

    The farmer-founded National Dairy Council (NDC) created Smart Swaps for school nutrition professionals to include dairy on breakfast menus and adapt to evolving meal standards. The program offers training resources along with kid-approved breakfast recipes featuring dairy.

    “We have reimagined what’s possible with delicious, dairy-centric menu items,” said Alyson Kirchner, senior vice president of youth and schools for Dairy Management Inc. “These menu options are aligned with the new added sugar and sodium guidelines while ensuring students receive the nutrient-rich foods they love and need.”

    School meal nutrition standards limit the amount of added sugar from foods such as cereal, yogurt and flavored milk. Additionally, there are upcoming nutrition requirements that will limit added sugars and sodium across all meals served weekly.

    Student preferences were included in the development of Smart Swaps recipes with 2,500 students nationwide testing 10 menu offerings. The recipes include Strawberry Pancake Yogurt Parfait, Cherry Lime Smoothie Bowland Broccoli, Egg, and Cheese Pizza, among others.

    Nutritional analysis also was conducted to ensure the recipes align with USDA nutrition standards.

    “With the changes coming to school meal standards, there is a real opportunity for dairy,” said Katie Bambacht, vice president of nutrition affairs for NDC. “Schools will need to adjust their menus in coming years to meet the changing standards. Our Smart Swaps menus make it easy with compliant breakfast menu offerings, menu efficiency ideas and tips on milk storage.”

    State and regional checkoff teams are making Smart Swaps resources available to school foodservice professionals across the country.

    For more information about how the dairy checkoff is driving sales and building trust, visit www.dairycheckoff.com.

    About Dairy Management Inc.

    Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is funded by more than 24,000 dairy farmers and dairy importers. DMI manages the national checkoff program and collaborates with state and regional checkoff teams across the United States to boost domestic and global dairy sales through research, education and marketing initiatives. The checkoff also is focused on fostering consumer trust in dairy products and the farm families behind them. DMI manages National Dairy Council and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, Newtrient and GENYOUth.

  • Dairy Checkoff Collaborates with Mayo Clinic to Advance Research & Consumer Outreach

    The dairy checkoff has entered a five-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic to explore research and consumer outreach efforts to improve public health and advance dairy’s benefits.

    The checkoff’s memorandum of understanding with Mayo entails Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), National Dairy Council (NDC) and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy (IC).

    “This is a milestone moment for dairy farmers who made this possible through their century-long commitment to research and dairy nutrition,” said DMI CEO Barbara O’Brien. “This doesn’t happen without the strong national reputation farmers have built through National Dairy Council.

    Dairy Management Inc CEO Barbara O’Brien

    “This is a powerful collaboration that shows how the dairy checkoff is expanding our scientific network to bring a modernized complement to our legacy and move us further into the future.”

    The collaboration will be incorporated across Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Rochester, Minn., Scottsdale and Phoenix, Ariz., and Jacksonville, Fla.

    Three focus areas

    Teams comprised of NDC scientists and registered dietitians, Mayo Clinic physicians and health professionals as well as Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy experts will lead initiatives focused on three areas:

    • Research to discover how dairy foods, particularly whole milk dairy, impacts cardiovascular health and metabolic conditions. Other potential research areas include dairy’s role on calm, sleep, digestive health and immunity.
    • Communicating dairy’s strong body of evidence, new research and insights with the scientific community, health and wellness professionals and consumers.
    • Exploring dairy’s role through digital platforms to propel people into a new way of precisely managing their wellness.

    In addition, co-created content will help debunk dairy myths and help consumers maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses.

    Marilyn Hershey, Dairy Management Inc Chair

    “This collaboration illustrates the checkoff’s consumer-first focus and our commitment to leading with credible science,” said Marilyn Hershey, a Pennsylvania dairy farmer and chair of DMI.

    For information about the dairy checkoff, visit www.usdairy.com.

    About Mayo Clinic

    Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

    About Dairy Management Inc.

    Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is funded by America’s 31,000 dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

    About Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®

    Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a leadership forum that brings together the dairy community and third parties to address the changing needs and expectations of consumers and customers. Initiated in 2008 by dairy farmers through the dairy checkoff, Innovation Center leaders and members collaborate on important areas like the environment, nutrition and health, animal care, food safety, and community contributions. Through the Innovation Center, the U.S. dairy community demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement from farm to table, striving to ensure a socially responsible and economically viable dairy community. For more information, visit usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center.

    About National Dairy Council®

    National Dairy Council® (NDC) is the non-profit organization dedicated to bringing to life the dairy community’s shared vision of a healthy, happy, sustainable world – with science as the foundation. NDC provides science-based nutrition information to, and in collaboration with, a variety of stakeholders committed to fostering a healthier nation, including health and wellness professionals, educators, school nutrition directors, academia, industry, consumers and media. NDC has taken a leadership role in promoting child health and wellness through programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60. Developed by NDC and the National Football League (NFL), Fuel Up to Play 60 encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

  • National Dairy Council Shares Dairy’s Role in New Dietary Guidelines

    The newly released 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans reaffirms the importance of consuming dairy daily as part of healthy dietary patterns for positive health outcomes.

    Daily inclusion of low-fat and fat-free dairy foods is recommended in all three DGA healthy dietary patterns: 3 servings in Healthy U.S. and Healthy Vegetarian, and 2 to 2.5 servings in Healthy Mediterranean. Following these healthy dietary patterns is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

    “Dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt offer essential nutrients that help nourish people throughout life,” said National Dairy Council President Jean Ragalie-Carr, RDN, LDN, FAND. “At a time when affordable nutrition has never been more important to our nation, dairy foods, including lactose-free varieties, are a highly nutritious and accessible option that can help fill important nutrient gaps and support overall well-being. We’re pleased to see dairy consumption recommended for its contributions to healthy dietary patterns based on the scientific evidence.”

    National Dairy Council President Jean Ragalie-Carr, RDN, LDN, FAND

    The DGA are updated every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), who base their recommendations on a sound body of peer-reviewed science.

    NDC participated in the public process around the DGA, submitting written comments and oral testimony to USDA and HHS that summarized scientific evidence on the role of dairy foods in healthy dietary patterns. Dairy farmers and importers fund hundreds of research studies on topics such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, whole milk dairy foods, inflammation, protein, digestive health, sustainable food systems, child nutrition and more as part of their commitment to supporting good nutrition for Americans.

    The Guidelines are an essential resource in developing federal food and nutrition programs, such as the school meals programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

    For the first time, the DGA recommendations for the birth-to-23-month time period are included and yogurt and cheese were recognized as complementary feeding options for infants starting as early as 6 months. Dairy foods (whole milk, reduced-fat cheese and reduced-fat plain yogurt) were included in recommendations for toddlers 12-23 months.

    Consistent evidence demonstrates that a healthy dietary pattern, which includes low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, is associated with beneficial outcomes for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, bone health, and certain types of cancer (breast and colorectal).

    Other key aspects of the DGA for dairy include:

    • The nutrients of concern for Americans continue to be calcium, vitamin D, potassium and fiber; dairy foods are important sources of calcium, vitamin D and potassium in the U.S. diet and can help close these nutrient gaps.
    • Linking dairy foods to bone health in both adolescents and adults, showing dairy’s important nutritional support for accrual of bone mass and promotion of bone health outcomes, including prevention of the onset of osteoporosis.
    • The saturated fat recommendation remains at no more than 10% of total calories.

    While these Guidelines don’t include recommendations for sustainable food systems, the U.S. dairy community has commitments in place to advance environmental sustainability. Earlier this year, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announced the 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals which include achieving carbon neutrality or better, optimizing water usage and improving water quality.

    “All foods come with an environmental footprint and all sectors of food production can work to do better, including dairy,” said Krysta Harden, executive vice president of Global Environmental Strategy for Dairy Management Inc. “Today, U.S. dairy contributes about 2 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and collectively, from farm to retail, we are committed to being an environmental solution and leaving a positive footprint for future generations.”

    To learn more about the U.S. dairy industry visit www.usdairy.com, www.nmpf.org or www.idfa.org.

  • Undeniably Dairy to Boost Milk Sales with Consumer Engagement

    Remember the old got milk commercials that got consumers excited about dairy?  Today, the big dairy campaign is known as “Undeniably Dairy”.  This is funded through the National Dairy Checkoff program, managed by Dairy Management, Inc (DMI).  Watch this brief interview with DMI Chair, Marilyn Hershey, and read more about DMI’s efforts to promote the industry in California Dairy Magazine.