U.S. Dairy Export Council

Hats off to Indonesia! At a time when several governments are regrettably moving toward scaling back dairy in their dietary recommendations or public feeding programs, Indonesia is instead charting a course in the right direction and working to increase dairy consumption given its ample nutritional benefits. They're working to launch a visionary school meals and milk program that will yield tremendous benefits for Indonesian children and make meaningful investments in the country's future human capital. USDEC's Jonathan Gardner and I were over there last week to learn more about it and offer to partner with Indonesia to help ensure the program's success. While in Jakarta we were focused on: 1) advancing work on the Indonesia-U.S. Technical Collaboration Project on Dairy - an initiative USDEC's undertaken at our CEO Krysta Harden's direction to support growth and quality enhancements by Indonesian small scale dairy farmers, and 2) exploring how the U.S. dairy industry can best support the launch of the Indonesian school milk program later this year. It was so refreshing to hear the genuine enthusiasm for dairy from the government officials and industry leaders we met with. It's rightfully a very popular plan in Indonesia: In a recent survey of public opinions on President Prabowo-Gibran’s Economic Programs: Nearly half (48.6%) of respondents said the free lunch and milk program is the most desirable program. Indonesia is one of the top 10 dairy export destinations for the U.S. already; the U.S. is a leading supplier of various dairy ingredients to Indonesian dairy and food manufacturing companies. As Indonesia works to meet its expanded dairy needs for this program both domestically and internationally, the U.S. dairy industry is committed to deepening that existing partnership even further. Here's hoping others take a page out of Indonesia's book and prioritize the unique nutrition dairy can provide to kids! #USDairy #USDEC #GlobalDairy

Participants on a USDEC-USDA Business Development Mission to China had the honor Thursday of meeting with U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. It was an opportunity to learn more about trade opportunities in China and share the importance of U.S. dairy exports. Ambassador Burns is shown below, seventh from left, flanked by USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden and USDEC Chair Alex Peterson.

Decades of economic growth, development of the manufacturing and technology sectors and urbanization make China a promising destination for U.S. dairy exports. These economic shifts have led to an expanding Chinese middle class with a growing appetite for high-quality dairy products. Shown visiting a U.S. cheese display at an upscale grocery store in Beijing this week are, from left, Victor Sun, son of the store’s founder; Rebecca Nyman, USDEC Vice Chair and California dairy farmer; Martha Scott P., USDEC Chief Operating Officer; Alex Peterson, USDEC Chair and Missouri dairy farmer; Krysta Harden, USDEC President and CEO, and a store employee.

USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden was elected to the Farm Foundation board of directors. Learn more in this news release: https://bit.ly/3RHPBtI. Farm Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan group that serves as an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture.

In 2023, U.S. dairy exports to China totaled 396,743 metric tons (total milk solids basis), making it the third largest market for U.S. dairy. This week, USDEC is on a business development mission to China, in collaboration with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), to build on our relationships addressing trade.

National Dairy Month is always a highlight of my year as it’s a time of reflection for myself and the U.S. Dairy Export Council team. It’s also a time to celebrate the countless ways in which dairy positively impacts the world; from affordable nourishment to benefiting local economies and producers. By 2050, India, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa will experience significant population growth, resulting in two billion more mouths to feed. As U.S. dairy continues to evolve to meet growing international demand, I believe we’re in a great position to provide high-quality, nutritious dairy products to communities all around the world. #USDairy #USDEC

Animal-free” products created using “precision” or “cell-based” fermentation methods are increasingly being developed and marketed to replace all sorts of conventional animal-sourced foods. I’m all for innovation, but not when it co-opts dairy terms to capitalize on dairy’s health halo and strong market position and misleads consumers about the food they’re purchasing. That’s why I’m leading an International Dairy Federation (IDF) Action Team to help bring some order to what could otherwise be the wild west of naming of these novel products. This team is building on almost two decades of work by IDF to interpret and apply the Codex General Standard for the Use of Dairy Terms (GSUDT). The GSUDT exists to ensure the correct use of dairy terms, protect consumers from misleading labeling, and ensure fair trade practices. When applying the GSUDT to these emerging technologies, we are fortunate that it is quite clear. Dairy terms may only be used on milk, milk products and certain composite milk products. Products made in bioreactors don’t fit these definitions – thus, dairy terms cannot be used according to the GSUDT. In an increasingly complex food marketplace, it’s more important than ever that regulators look to international consensus and science-based standards like the GSUDT when designing and implementing labeling regulations. Raising awareness is one thing, but only our government colleagues can take the critical steps to ensure consumers aren’t misled. Learn more about GSUDT in this IDF bulletin: https://lnkd.in/e_ds4Ukz #CodexAlimentarius #ConsumerProtection #USDairy #DairyAustralia

Are you aware: The global health and wellness food and beverage market was worth over US $497 billion in 2022 and has been growing 3% year over year.   Guess what’s a driving force of the H/W packaged food market? Foods fortified with additional protein!   Consumers globally are looking to protein fortified snacks and beverages to address immunity, weight management and aging gracefully. So, where does dairy fit in?  Let me tell you.   This is where the unique benefits of U.S. dairy proteins provide an opportunity to tap into a rapidly growing market segment. Food and beverage manufacturers are looking to dairy for solutions. The whey protein market is booming and is expected to be worth over US $40 billion by 2033. Whey processing capacity is continuing to rise in the U.S. from wide-spread investments in processing facilities, bolstering/reinforcing the U.S. global leadership in high-protein whey production and exports.   The Asia Pacific region, especially China and Japan, is expected to see the most growth due to rising demand for dairy-based protein ingredients. In fact, whey protein has been the fastest growing ingredient in the region. For a food culture that historically lacks dairy, these changes in consumer preferences create an exciting opportunity for dairy ingredient processors to expand in these markets.   Dairy-derived whey proteins are nutrient-rich and remain in high demand – even among those consumers whose diets typically don’t include much dairy. Not to be left out, regions with strong dairy-based cultures/cuisines like MENA and Latin American also show growth.   We’re seeing this trend increase in demand due food/beverage manufacturers racing to meet the rise in health-minded consumers who are becoming increasingly interested in protein sources. This is thanks to greater awareness, easier access to high-quality products, and a wide range of consumer products being launched beyond traditional protein supplements.   Like what you read? As I travel to countries all over the world, I’ll be sharing these #DairyDeepDive updates and discussing key trends right here on my page. Stay tuned! https://lnkd.in/epgXDcta   #USDairy #WheyProtein #ProteinAlternatives #FoodTrends #DairyDeepDive

Last week, I attended the 30th Annual Conference of the China Dairy Industry Association (CDIA) and the 2024 China International Dairy Technology Expo in Changsha, where I was honored to deliver remarks at the opening ceremony. It was great speaking about USDEC’s longstanding, committed partnership with CDIA and how our work together has helped increase dairy exports to China 20-fold compared to 25 years ago. This year’s event theme was ‘Green Development, Technology Innovation, International Cooperation, Nutrition and Health,’ where many presentations focused on China industry efforts to be more sustainable, the economic environment, meeting the nutritional needs of Chinese consumers and the role that dairy plays in all of these. Additionally, U.S. Dairy Export Council hosted a half-day symposium that featured presentations by USDEC staff Annie Bienvenue (in-person) on ‘Why High Protein Dairy Ingredients” and William Loux (pre-recorded) giving the latest dairy market outlook. Additionally, our local office representation presented on global new product trends related to dairy proteins and yogurt, while Donna Berry shared a recorded presentation on global consumer trends, and we were joined by our partners from Jiangnan University who presented the nutritional benefits and latest innovation application opportunities for dairy proteins and permeates. USDEC members Glanbia Nutritionals, Agropur, Milk Specialties Global, Darigold and Proliant local staff also attended and shared information on their respective organizations. I had a great time at this year’s annual conference and look forward to continuing this partnership! #USDairy #USDEC #ThinkUSADairy #CDIA

It's World Milk Day, an opportunity to share the "The Future of Food" documentary series, launched at the COP28 climate conference in collaboration with the World Farmers' Organisation' and Dairy West, It highlights the U.S. dairy industry's commitment to sustainability. Learn more and watch video here: https://bit.ly/3X5yjdf