Dairy Innovation: Stay Ahead of the Game and Get in the Gut Health Business

Gut health isn’t just a fad. It’s becoming a priority for a growing number (35% in 2024, up from 27% in 2020) of U.S. consumers who actively seek out foods and drinks that support it, according to the 2025 USA Trend Study from HealthFocus International, Des Plaines, Ill. The time is NOW for dairy processors to get on board. 

While beverage and cultured dairy all make sense for gut-friendly formulations, I predict frozen is where the action will be this time next year. It’s time for the Great American Frozen Yogurt Comeback. 

Health- and wellness-seeking consumers are driving demand for frozen dairy treats that offer more than just indulgence. While the action we are seeing now in the freezer is a focus on added protein, these products are poised to provide more value in terms of probiotics and prebiotic fibers. WE need to talk about them being good for the gut. 

“[Gut health] is not just about digestion. People are recognizing that gut health plays a much bigger role in overall well-being,” said Julie Johnson, president of HealthFocus. “More than 60% of consumers we surveyed believe it affects weight, physical health and energy levels, while nearly half also link it to mood and stress. This reflects a broader, more holistic view of health that has been growing in recent years.”

Fiber is the number-one ingredient that consumers (63% of those surveyed by HealthFocus) believe improves digestion/gut health. Next in line is probiotics (58%), followed by whole grains (49%), ginger (38%), prebiotics (37%), turmeric (35%), collagen (26%), postbiotics (21%) and beta glucan from oat or barley fiber (16%).  

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TruJoy Frozen Greek Yogurt is building its business by marketing its frozen yogurt as being “made with simple, living and timeless ingredients that will fuel you to live your best life.”

The website reads: We take protein and probiotic rich Greek yogurt and blend it with cream, cane sugar and plant-based stabilizers to make our Frozen Greek Yogurt. We use only fruit and other natural flavors and extracts to create a treat that is truly nutritious and delicious.

The idea for TruJoy Yogurt was conceived when founder Charlie Gentry realized something was missing from the freezer aisle. A self-described health nut, Charlie wanted a natural frozen treat as wholesome and nutritious as the snacks that fueled everything from long days at work to ultramarathons. He started by making a list of clean ingredients he could use and outlined a nutrition profile. Then he started experimenting with recipes until he found something that worked. 150 batches later, TruJoy Yogurt was born.

TruJoy comes in nine flavors. They are: Blueberry Parfait, Chocolate, Classic Tart, Coffee, Lemon Velvet, Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Mint Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Strawberry. Each pint contains only 500 calories and is loaded with live and active probiotic cultures, as Greek yogurt is the first ingredient. 

Frozen yogurt never went away, but its selling points need to evolve from simply being a better-for-you frozen treat choice to being a gut-health food. Give consumers permission to indulge. 

It’s time for the Great American Frozen Yogurt Comeback.

Recent Dairy Launches to Fuel Your Innovation Fire

Hold onto your seats! Dairy is getting fun.

Last week I wrote about how we are all ambassadors for dairy and the time is now to speak up. That’s because “it” is out there. What’s “it?” 

“It” is the truth about dairy. That it is inherently nutritious. That pasteurization makes it safe and does not impact that inherent nutrition. That milk delivers 13 essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D and protein. And, that milk’s unique matrix also provides the body with bioactives responsible for critical steps in physiological functions. 

If you missed the September 12, 2025, blog, you can read it HERE.

Now is the time to talk about all of it. And make it more. It's all about dairy with benefits. 

Let’s explore some recent dairy launches and the opportunities they present. I hope I fuel your innovation fire.

StrongR is a yogurt drink with colostrum. Inspired Functional Brands provided Newtopia attendees a sneak peek at the new concept. 

At the heart of StrongR is nature’s first superfood: colostrum. With its unique combination of key vitamins, minerals and immuno-active proteins, colostrum helps nourish the gut’s microbiome while strengthening the immune system, according to the company. Made with whole milk and containing more than 10 billion probiotics, StrongR yogurt drinks come in Blueberry, Mango and Strawberry-Banana flavors. Each 7.6-ounce bottle provides 8 grams of high-quality, complete protein. 

 

Speaking of protein, dairy owns this space. And we need to be loud about owning it. 

Little Chute, Wis.-based Nurri, a brand that debuted this year with a line of shelf-stable canned protein milk shakes, is a case in point. The brand’s rapid growth is unprecedented in value-added fluid milk. 

The company starts with a base of ultra-filtered skim milk, to which lactase is added to intensify the inherent sweetness. To further reach the target sweetness level, the brand relies on a blend of three high-intensity sweeteners: acesulfame potassium, sucralose and monk fruit extract. That’s right. There’s artificial sweeteners in this protein shake, and consumers are drinking it up. That’s because each 11-ounce can contains 30 grams of high-quality, complete protein and a mere 1 gram of sugar. 

The brand made its debut at Costco stores nationwide in packs of 12 11-ounce slim cans. The first flavor to launch was Chocolate. Vanilla soon followed. Most recently, Strawberry hit the shelves. The Costco by me has been selling out on a regular basis. 

This week the company launched these three flavors, along with new Mocha, in Walmart stores nationwide. They are selling at Walmart as single cans for $2.97. 

“Our goal is to make Nurri more readily available to more people, and adding Walmart as a retail partner is a big step in accomplishing this,” said Adam Tollefson, Director of Marketing. “With this expansion and availability of single cans, even more shoppers will be able to try Nurri, while our loyal fans will enjoy greater accessibility and variety.”

The addition of single-can varieties plus new flavors signals Nurri’s trajectory, which is moving full steam ahead in innovation and scale. The new Mocha flavor delivers Nurri's signature benefits: 30 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar, 150 calories, and 100% recyclable aluminum packaging, plus it packs an added energy boost with 80 milligrams of caffeine.

Speaking of caffeine and protein. Value-added, ready-to-drink lattes are on fire. Value comes in the form of collagen. 

This is best exemplified by Healthee’s new ready-to-drink Protein Cold Brew Latte line. Each of the three varieties is made with micellular casein isolate and bioactive collagen peptides, with the type of collagen supported by clinical research demonstrating a specific benefit. There’s Bone (Sea Salt Caramel), Joint (Chocolate) and Skin, Hair & Nails (French Vanilla). Cans include a QR code for accessing the clinical studies supporting the specific collagen peptides.

An 8-ounce can of Healthee Protein Cold Brew Latte contains 70 calories and 15 grams of protein. The drinks have no added sugars and are sweetened with stevia. 

To read more about formulating with collagen, link HERE.

YOMilch in Germany recently introduced a yogurt with collagen hydrolysate. And Meiji is rolling out Meiji W Skin Care Yogurt to the Japanese marketplace. The yogurt is formulated with a proprietary blend of ingredients, including SC-2 lactic acid bacteria, collagen peptides and sphingomyelin. These components are reported to offer two benefits: protection against UV-induced skin irritation and maintenance of skin moisture levels. And, Korea Yakult’s gut health functional fermented milk product “Will” is entering the Taiwan market under the “hy” brand. The brand is also launching a new Low-Sugar Strawberry variety, which maintains the gut health patent probiotic HP7, while using a low-sugar formula that reduces sugar content by 45% compared to the original product. In addition, collagen has been added to meet the needs of Taiwanese women consumers who are focused on both health and beauty.

Protein-packed ice creams are experiencing a second life, after a crash and burn right before the pandemic. The science has improved, as has the available ingredients—namely allulose and monkfruit—available to formulators. 

With 30 grams of protein per pint and 85% less sugar than traditional ice cream, Protein Pints is redefining functional frozen treats without compromising on taste. Made with natural ingredients and no artificial sweeteners, each decadent, gluten-free pint delivers all nine essential amino acids, a smooth, creamy texture, and just 120 to 160 calories per serving. The product got a major plug this week during a tasting on the Today Show. You can view the clip HERE.

“We’ve been blown away by the response to Protein Pints since launching nationally earlier this year. Consumers have made our first five flavors a staple in their freezers, and the demand from both shoppers and retail partners made it clear. People are hungry for more,” said Paul Reiss, co-founder and CEO of Protein Pints. 

The company announced this week that it is adding Cookies & Cream and Coffee flavors to its original lineup of Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Chip, Chocolate, Mint Chip and Strawberry.

Like I said, dairy owns protein. It appears that there’s an opportunity to play in the better-for-you soda space. Move over poppi, Olipop, Bloom Pop and Pepsi Prebiotic Cola. Hello sparkling dairy protein drinks. 

The total better-for-you soda category in the U.S. is more than $1 billion and is up 70% year-over-year, with 20% growth from Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, according to retail sales data from SPINS. The “2025 CPG Outlook: Industry Update & Trends Predictions” report from SPINS, which tracks innovation across the entire U.S. food and beverage landscape, identified three of the top-five categories for product innovation as being beverages. Sports and energy drinks claim the number-one spot, shelf-stable ready-to-drink coffees and teas come in third, and kombucha and other functional beverages finish fifth.

Genius Gourmet offers new Sparkling Clear Protein beverages containing whey protein isolate drink. The shelf-stable, lactose-free beverage comes in a 12-fluid-ounce slim can and contains 90 calories and 20 grams of protein. They are free of artificial colors and preservatives. Flavors are Blue Raspberry, Fruit Punch and Orange flavors. 

The there’s Dirty Soda. Dirty refers to the addition of extras, and creamer—dairy or non-dairy—is one of the primary extras. 

This is something that Laverne—of the late 70’s to early 80’s sitcom Laverne and Shirley—introduced to America. Her favorite beverage was mixing Pepsi with milk. At first it sounds odd, but it’s not much different than a root beer float: root beer with a scoop of melty ice cream. 

So now we have dirty soda, which started out as a “treat” type beverage void of caffeine and alcohol. It’s a trend that started in Utah in the Mormon community and has expanded across the country, much like how boba tea spread from Asian California communities to the rest of the country. 

Boba tea started in food service, but now there are ready-to-drink canned and bottled versions. That will likely be the future of dirty soda. At its simplest, dirty soda is about two-thirds soda water, mixed with flavored syrup and, in most cases, cream. Beverage formulators need to get busy. 

And lastly, I believe the time is finally right for Golden Milk, the ancient Indian beverage known as haldi doodh. It is non-caffeinated and has a bright gold beverage. The color is the result of adding yellow turmeric into white cows’ milk. Historically served warm, and often as a nighttime relaxing beverage, modern versions of golden milk include iced lattes and smoothies, with or without other spices, such as cardamon, cinnamon or ginger, and some kind of sweetener. Honey is very common. The beverage may also be referred to as turmeric milk to emphasize the addition of the ayurvedic plant-based ingredient. 

Turmeric has earned global recognition as a “superfood” thanks to its bioactive compound curcumin, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. 

A study published in the July 2022 issue of Molecules examined the extractability of curcuminoids from turmeric using different liquids, including water (cold and warm) and various milks (dairy and plant-based). The researchers found that warm dairy milk extracts significantly more curcuminoids than water. You can read more about the study HERE.

The concept of Golden Milk can be translated into other dairy products, including ice cream and yogurt. Earlier this year, Desi Naturals introduced Indian Yogurts in 5.3-ounce cups. Varieties are Honey Turmeric, Malai Kulfi (dessert style), Mango Cardamon (homestyle) and Mishti Doi (Indian crème brulee).

Hopefully I have fueled your innovation fire. Have a great weekend.

Dairy Speaks the MAHA Love Language: Be Real.

 

“Milk isn’t Democratic or Republican. It’s universal, as household data shows,” wrote Gregg Doud, president and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation, on Sept. 2, 2025. “That’s something to prize in 2025. It should stay that way.” 

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative is many things. Some are unsettling, many are controversial but for dairy, MAHA offers opportunities for policies that better align with what nutrition scientists and families already know: dairy boosts public health and its consumption should be encouraged. 

“Dairy needs to be ready to support good ideas and educate both policymakers and consumers in ways that benefit everyone it serves,” said Doud. 

We are all ambassadors for dairy and the time is now to speak up. That’s because “it” is out there. What’s “it?” 

“It” is the truth about dairy. That it is inherently nutritious. That pasteurization makes it safe and does not impact that inherent nutrition. That milk delivers 13 essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D and protein. And, that milk’s unique matrix also provides the body with bioactives responsible for critical steps in physiological functions. 

That’s correct. Scientists are starting to better understand that these compounds, when present in whole, minimally processed foods, interact with each other, impacting digestion and absorption. In the dairy industry, this is now called the Dairy Matrix effect. In simple terms, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is “food as medicine.” This is the future of food. This is “it,” what we have all been waiting for. 

“Dairy’s future is incredibly bright,” according to Doud. “Any skepticism toward that idea can quickly be countered with about 10 billion reasons. That’s the dollar amount of investments in new dairy processing capacity that’s coming online between 2023 and 2026, according to an NMPF analysis. Ultimately, these investments are an investment in the U.S. dairy farmer.”

This is all happening at the same time as the iconic “got milk?” campaign celebrates its 30th anniversary. The California Milk Processor Board introduced the campaign in 1993, then licensed it to the Milk Processor Education Program in 1995 for national use.

To commemorate this important year, the California Milk Processor Board has embarked on a statewide tour that includes a traveling photo studio, giving people the opportunity to pose with a milk mustache on their upper lip for a photo. 

The poster language reads: “Real is back. Real people. Real milk. Real protein. Real strength. Real calcium. Real nutrients. Real good. Are we for real? You bet we are.”

Milk—and dairy foods made with milk—speak the MAHA love language. Add some value, in the form of extra nutrients, more protein, less sugar, no lactose, and now you are talking “dairy with benefits.” But remember to keep it real and simple. Be transparent and explain the benefit of the added value. 

Doud wrote: “MAHA’s emphasis on nutrient-dense ‘real’ foods, including whole milk, could further raise demand for traditional dairy products. Fluid milk, yogurts and butter are viewed as less processed than their alternatives. Those products are gaining market share, just look at cottage cheese and yogurt in the snack category. MAHA is part of this trend toward consumers shifting away from additive-laden options toward time-tested nutrition.

Many plant-based alternatives rely heavily on synthetic ingredients, making them suspicious to the often-discussed ‘MAHA moms’ who prefer a diet for their children that’s less dependent on products whose labels read like science projects. We’ve been talking about this for year, and the preference for so-called clean labels is yet another competitive advantage for dairy, which already wins on nutrition, cost and taste.

Speaking of nutrition, the MAHA conversation provides an opportunity to highlight the essential nutrients present in dairy products, including calcium, vitamins and bioactive fatty acids. Dairy can be front-and-center in a healthy diet. We can lead the conversation.

[At the same time, we] need to be very clear in communicating the value modern agriculture provides to U.S. and global consumers. Technology and innovation has made America the world’s agricultural leader and giving up on any of it without a thorough conversation and understanding the implications of any actions is essential.”

This latter statement is a reference to farmers’ need for chemical and biologic products to protect against weeds, pests and disease. In the MAHA report released Sept. 9, 2025, this was addressed, and the agriculture industry was pleased with the proposed efforts. 

My colleague Jeff Gelski at Food Business News wrote “Ag industry praises MAHA report’s pesticide views.” You can read more HERE. 

Also on September 9, MAHA released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic. As ambassadors for dairy, it’s time to dedicate resources to raise public awareness and education.

“U.S. dairy farmers, processors and the entire dairy supply chain share the Commission’s goal of reducing childhood chronic disease. America’s dairy companies have already reduced added sugars in flavored school milk by 60% since 2006 and are actively removing all certified artificial colors from dairy products included in school meals and ice cream sold at retail,” said Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association. “At the same time, dairy companies continue to innovate by offering a wider variety of nutrient-rich and lactose-free options to meet the needs of today’s families and children.”

It's all about dairy with benefits. 

Dairy Foods Innovation Ingredient Trend: Collagen

 Gen Xers (that would be me!) have been largely ignored in the world of food and beverage marketing, except by fellow Gen Xer Jennifer Aniston. She has endorsed the Vital Proteins collagen brand since 2016, and joined the Vital Proteins team in 2020 as Chief Creative Officer. (It was a pandemic project that continues to live on.) And, I believe she can claim some responsibility--along with all of us Gen Xers who heeded her endorsement--for making collagen a go-to protein in this day and age of health and wellness. 

Every morning for about the past seven years, ever since Costco started selling Vital Proteins, I put two scoops into my morning black coffee. At the age of 58, I have nominal joint and muscle pains, and when I have it, it’s only after a killer workout. My hair is full, skin decent and my nails, well, can’t have everything! 

It’s no wonder collagen is one of the hottest functional ingredients around the world. Here’s the deal, collagen production starts to decline in our 20s. (Wish I had started taking them sooner.) As a primary structural protein, collagen is essential for mobile joints, stable bones, healthy muscles and strong ligaments and tendons. 

In the U.S., it is being used in bars, beverages, chocolates, energy drinks, gummies and even popcorn. Pet product companies are adding it to foods, treats and supplements. It is gaining significant traction by being paired with dairy proteins to create powerhouse foods and beverages for adults. 

All collagen ingredients are not the same. Research shows that hydrolyzing collagen, which yields peptides around 2,000 Daltons--unhydrolyzed collagen peptides are 3,000 to 5,000 Daltons--are best absorbed. These are the ingredients fueling food and beverage innovations. 

This is best exemplified by Healthee’s new ready-to-drink Protein Cold Brew Latte line. Each of the three varieties is made with micellular casein isolate and bioactive collagen peptides, with the type of collagen supported by clinical research demonstrating a specific benefit. There’s Bone (Sea Salt Caramel), Joint (Chocolate) and Skin, Hair & Nails (French Vanilla). Cans include a QR code for accessing the clinical studies supporting the specific collagen peptides, all of which are supplied by today’s blog sponsor, Gelita. Thank you!

An 8-ounce can of Healthee Protein Cold Brew Latte contains 70 calories and 15 grams of protein. The drinks have no added sugars and are sweetened with stevia. 

A number of other coffee-milk concepts—some with collagen or other functional ingredients--debuted at Newtopia 2025 in Denver a few weeks ago. Curious about formulating coffee-milk beverages? There’s a class for that at Chapman University this January. Link HERE for more info. (I am one of the instructors.) 

To peruse other recent coffee-milk innovations, link HERE.

Read top-line advice on new product innovation from a panel of Whole Foods Market executives who spoke at Newtopia in an article I wrote for Food Business News. Link HERE.

In early August, Nestlé Health Science introduced Vital Proteins Collagen & Protein Shake. (They are already in the Costco in Chicago.)

The shelf-stable beverage features a light chocolate flavor, with one 11-fluid-ounce shake providing 30 grams of protein (from milk protein concentrate) to help fuel wellness goals and features 10 grams of collagen peptides to support hair, skin, nail, bone and joint health. The shake contains 0 grams added sugars, and no carrageenan, artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors. It’s the brand’s first-ever ready-to-drink protein shake offering.

“People want their wellness routines to work harder, not be harder,” said Jill Abbott, vice president of marketing strategy and innovation at Vital Proteins. “The Vital Proteins Collagen & Protein Shake meets the moment with people looking for more protein, more benefits and more ease in their routine. The tag team of high-quality protein and our signature collagen peptides all in one convenient, great-tasting ready-to-drink beverage delivers on both function and format, and without compromise.”

Lifeway Foods Inc., is also playing in this space with its new Probiotic Smoothie + Collagen Made with Kefir Cultures line. The product delivers all the goodness of Lifeway’s signature kefir with an added boost of hydrolyzed collagen. The smoothie comes in quart bottles in Berry Blast, Matcha Latte, Plain and Tropical Fruit varieties. 

Collagen-infused cultured dairy beverages are trending in Asia. Meiji is rolling out Meiji W Skin Care Yogurt to the Japanese marketplace. The yogurt is formulated with a proprietary blend of ingredients, including SC-2 lactic acid bacteria, collagen peptides and sphingomyelin. These components are reported to offer two benefits: protection against UV-induced skin irritation and maintenance of skin moisture levels.

Korea Yakult’s gut health functional fermented milk product “Will” is entering the Taiwan market under the “hy” brand. The brand is also launching a new Low-Sugar Strawberry variety, which maintains the gut health patent probiotic HP7, while using a low-sugar formula that reduces sugar content by 45% compared to the original product. In addition, collagen has been added to meet the needs of Taiwanese women consumers who are focused on both health and beauty.

 

Midwest Dairy’s Future of Dairy Innovation Accelerator winners. 
Two Midwest startups were crowned winners of the Midwest Dairy Accelerator pitch event this week, earning $30,000 in prize funding to help scale their dairy-based innovations. RoseBud Ice Cream took home the $20,000 grand prize and an in-kind consulting package from Queue Brand Communications worth $10,000, while Zoguri was awarded $10,000 as runner-up, following a live pitch competition at The Hatchery, a past Midwest Dairy partner and nonprofit food and beverage business incubator in Chicago. 

The event marked the finale of the Midwest Dairy Accelerator, an intensive eight-week program launched this summer by Midwest Dairy in partnership with innovation advisory firm VentureFuel. Designed to accelerate the next generation of dairy-forward entrepreneurs, the program provided mentorship, industry connections and resources to help startups grow innovative businesses with real dairy at the core. 

RoseBud Ice Cream, Glen Ellyn, Ill., markets ice cream in convenient, kid-friendly pouches. Runner-up Zoguri, Omaha, develops fermented dairy supplements featuring a proprietary Lactobacillus reuteri probiotic strain. 

“Dairy farmers have always been innovators, finding new ways to bring nutritious products to market and meet the changing needs of consumers,” said Beth Bruck-Upton, vice president of research and innovation at Midwest Dairy. “Today, that same spirit of innovation drives us to support emerging brands by providing the mentorship and resources they need to grow and succeed.”