The Top-10 Topics Abuzz the Floor of The International Dairy Show

Congratulations to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) on its very successful International Dairy Show that took place earlier this week in Chicago, my home town. It was so wonderful to see so many old friends and to make new friends.

For those of you who missed The Daily Dose of Dairy Live presentations on the show floor, you can view the slide shows HERE.



For best viewing, open on as large of a monitor as possible. You can find additional details on many of the products by accessing the product-specific tab on BerryOnDairy.com, which can found HERE.

These were the four presentations and their sponsors. Thank you very much to the sponsor-show exhibitors for making these presentations possible.

• Innovations in Refrigerated and Frozen Dairy Desserts—Sponsored by S&D Coffee--Food Innovation and Ingredients
• Innovations in Yogurt and Cultured Dairy Foods—Sponsored by DSM
• Innovations in Cheese and Butter—Sponsored by Chr. Hansen
• Innovations in Milk and Other Dairy Beverages—Sponsored by Nutrinova, the food ingredients business of Celanese

Top-10 Topics Abuzz on the Show Floor

1.    Cottage Cheese. During the reception on Sunday evening, friends at an East Coast dairy agreed that they believe the time is right for cottage cheese to make its comeback. Inherently an excellent source of high-quality protein, cottage cheese partners well with both sweet and savory inclusions and is readily adaptable to all types of single-serve containers. One supplier showcased cultures that assist with efficiently making consistent clean-label (stabilizer-free) cottage cheese.
2.    Lactose Free. Another supplier showcased enzymatic technology to reduce or eliminate lactose in cottage cheese, as well as most other dairy foods. There is high demand for lactose-free dairy foods in Europe and this is quickly trending to the United States. Here’s an added perk. When the disaccharide lactose is enzymatically broken down to galactose and glucose, its sweetness increases. This often allows for a reduction in added sugar…the next buzz.
3.    Lowering Added Sugars. In addition to breaking down lactose, there were a number of sweetening solutions showcased by suppliers. Their objective is to reduce total added sugars by optimizing sweetness through the use of alternative sweeteners, sometimes in conjunction with natural flavors. Intensely sweet nutritive sweeteners have a place in flavored milk for The National School Lunch Program, while other high-intensity sweeteners provide a solution for a la carte school milk, as well as products for retail and foodservice.
4.    Dessert, Premium Yogurt. Cultures, sweeteners, stabilizers and flavorful ingredients turn yogurt into a guilt-free dessert.
5.    Innovative Ice Cream Inclusions. When talking with folks on the show floor, these were the hottest flavors to try: Cinnamon Cream Horchata (the authentic flavor of horchata in ice cream with cinnamon cream swirls), Working for Peanuts (caramel peanut nougat ice cream with salty cocktail peanuts and swirls of salted caramel variegate), Sewing the Seeds of Love (cinnamon caramel ice cream blended with praline pumpkin seeds and swirls of salted caramel), It’s a Homerun Jack (caramel popcorn ice cream blended with caramel popcorn and swirls of gooey caramel) and Salty Caramel Caribou (toffee-flavored ice cream with salty caramel-filled mini milk chocolate cups and salty caramel fudge.) Basically, the flavors trending this season are caramel, cinnamon, nutty and salty. 
6.    Nutrient Enhancement. Yogurt has traditionally been the delivery vehicle of choice to showcase added nutrients. This year it was fluid milk and cheese. Ingredients trending include fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and mineral blends.  
7.    Dairy-Based Beverages. Coffee with milk continues to boom. Other innovations include tea lattes, oat milk, juice milk and horchata.
8.    Winners of the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest. Read more HERE.
9.    Winners of IDFA’s Innovations Awards. Read more HERE.
10.  The Daily Dose of Dairy. Thank you for all the positive feedback on the Daily Dose of Dairy e-newsletter and BerryOnDairy.com website. It was wonderful to meet so many subscribers and to welcome new additions to this growing family of nearly 3,500 global subscribers. Apologies for this edition being delivered later in the day. I hope it did not mess up your morning, as many of you expressed how the typical 4:00am EST delivery serves as a wakeup call. Thank you for allowing the Daily Dose of Dairy and BerryOnDairy.com to be part of your morning routine.

Finally…mark your calendars for the next International Dairy Show scheduled for September 15 to 18, 2015. The show will once again co-locate with PROCESS EXPO in Chicago’s McCormick Place.

“The International Dairy Show is back in Chicago, every other year, and is co-located with PROCESS EXPO--a perfect winning formula,” said Connie Tipton, IDFA president and CEO. “The co-location has enhanced and expanded the Dairy Show without sacrificing the dairy focus that is so important to all of our stakeholders.”

For information regarding the International Dairy Show, visit HERE.



To reserve booth space, contact International Dairy Show Sales Executive Katherine Madison at exhibit@dairyshow.com.