The 2025 IDF World Dairy Summit: News from Chile

 

PICTURED: Gilles Froment, president of the International Dairy Federation (IDF), and senior vice president of government and industry relations at Lactalis Canada.

NOTE: The website builder for BerryonDairy.com was down the past 48 hours. To view details of the featured product from Oct. 23, 2025, please link HERE. 

“Nourishing a Sustainable World” was the theme of the 2025 World Dairy Summit, which was held this week in Santiago, Chile. Organized by the International Dairy Federation (IDF), the summit brought together farmers, processors, suppliers, academia and organizations from the global dairy industry to explore new pathways for innovation and sustainability. In all, 48 countries were represented at this annual event, which will next take place Nov. 15-20, 2026, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Mark your calendars!)

The program had many great takeaways. What was really impressive was the dairy departments in the Chilean supermarkets. These people know how to keep dairy relevant with innovation!

Chile is home to around 6,000 dairy farmers, who annually produce a total of about 2.2 billion liters of milk from about 500,000 dairy cows. And, on a side note, Chile also boasts the largest robotic dairy farm globally, with 5,800 cows milked by 90 robots.

The 20 million consumers who live in Chile love their dairy. And the industry is responding with constant innovation. This past week you saw a number of recent entries to the Chilean marketplace. This coming week, more will be featured as a Daily Dose of Dairy.

The biggest takeaway from the event was that “dairy is booming” across the world. The challenge, however, is that supply does not, and will continue to not meet demand unless changes are made, according to Gilles Froment, president of IDF and senior vice president of government and industry relations at Lactalis Canada.

“We are operating in deficit territory,” he said. 

Claudio RodrÍguez-Huaco, a member of the board of directors of Grupo Gloria, which is headquartered in Peru and has a presence across Latin America with an extensive range of Grupo Gloria branded dairy foods, said, “We need to modernize every link in our supply chain in Latin America in order to ensure nutritious dairy products are available to all.

“There’s a huge opportunity to innovate,” he said. “We need to continue to have an emotional connection with our consumers.” 

Technologies to improve yield are critical to move forward. This includes advancements in genetics. 

“We are using natural variation in the population to select and breed from the best. We help farmers do more with less,” said Matt McCready, CEO, Semex. “Genetics are one of the lowest input costs on farms, and it’s a cost farmers already incur. We are breeding for immunity and disease resistance, as well as for cows to be more tolerant of heat [as the planet warms up.] 

Antonia Wanner, chief sustainability officer at Nestlé, said, “ We are helping farmers [around the world] become more resilient. Our ambition is to advance regional food systems at scale. 

“Dairy is part of our portfolio,” Wanner added. “It is not replaceable.”

Dr. Federico Harte, professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University shared highlights from the many research projects taking place in academia that focus on making more from milk. This includes everything from isolating and purifying milk bioactives to advance human nutrition to converting side streams and milk macronutrients into functional ingredients.  

Here are five trends fueling dairy innovation in Chile.

1. Lactose Free. Almost everything new to the marketplace includes the lactase enzyme to render the product lactose free. This keeps lactose-sensitive Chileans consuming dairy and not wandering over to the alternative department, which by the way, is very, very small compared to the real deal.  

2. A2 Milk. As Chilean farmers convert to A2 herds, brands are starting to build their A2 dairy offerings. 

3. Dairy Drinks. Dairy drinks, including those based on liquid whey, are gaining traction in Chile and Brazil, especially among younger consumers. This is proving to be a favorable outlet for the whey side stream from cheese and Greek yogurt production. It’s more economical than drying whey for use as an ingredient in Latin America. 

4. Made in Chile. Touting the fact that dairy products are made with 100% Chilean milk is everywhere. It’s the country’s take on terroir in dairy. It’s very common with yogurt and shelf-stable fluid milk, and gaining traction in cheese, as the country tries to grow its cheesemaking industry. (Currently most aged cheeses in Chile are imported, with many from the U.S.)

5. Functional Nutrition. Chileans are on-trend with functional nutrition. Protein, probiotics and prebiotics are in everything, including ice cream. There are yogurts with magnesium for muscle function and relaxation. 

This shelf-stable beverage from Colun is described as an on-the-go breakfast beverage. It is milk fortified with milk proteins and oats for heart health, satiety and fiber, as well as galactooligosaccharides, which are prebiotic fibers derived from milk. 

Added lactase breaks down the lactose in the milk, contributing some sweetness, which is further enhanced through the addition of stevia and sucralose. The beverage is also fortified with vitamins A, D and E. It comes in chocolate and white, with a 330-milliliter drink box containing 90 calories, 5.5 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 10 grams of total sugar.  

NACS 2025: The Next Decade is all about Gen X

It appears that the “forgotten generation,” those of us born between 1965 and 1980, are finally getting the recognition we deserve in the world of consumer packaged goods marketing. It’s about time. 

There are 1.4 billion Gen Xers navigating the globe today, according to Wolfgang Fengler, chief executive officer of World Data Lab, who spoke alongside Marta Cyhan-Bowles, chief communications officer and head of global marketing at NielsenIQ, at NACS 2025, the c-store conference and expo that took place this week in my amazing home city of Chicago. (We are a resilient city and taking care of ours during these insane times.) 

“They’ve got trillions and you’ve got blind spots,” said Fengler, when describing Gen Xers. “In 2025 alone, Gen X will drive $15.2 trillion in global spend.”

Most Gen Xers are or getting close to being empty nesters. Yet, they are the sandwich generation, as they still influence the purchases their parents and their adult kids make. 

“Gen X’s unique identity is as the CFO of three generations,” said Cyhan-Bowles. “Gen Xers spend on elder and dependent care, and education, have clearly positioned them as ‘caretaker consumers.’”

Most Gen Xers are at the peak of their careers and energized. They’ve made it this far and refuse to be forgotten anymore. Gen X wants to have fun!

“They straddled both analog and digital domains,” said Cyhan-Bowles. 

And dang, we are resilient and flexible when it comes to navigating how we spend our money. For the record, I’m Gen X, and proud of it. We grew up independent, many of us as latchkey kids with both parents working. We witnessed the rise of MTV, grunge culture and personal computing. We are just as comfortable inserting a floppy disc into a computer as we are a memory stick, and now just saving to the cloud. 

Gen X is brand loyal, especially when it comes to the few brands that have marketed to them. If Jennifer Aniston endorsed it, I’m buying it. 

Eleven percent of Gen X says, “I am able to spend freely,” while 44% say “I love comfortably and am able to buy things just because I want them.” These are your customers! This is the majority of Gen X. 

“This is the Gen X decade,” said Fengler. “While there are more Millennials in this world, they have much less money to spend. Gen X is the number-one spender and growing. By 2033, their global spending power will reach $20 trillion, and approximately $7 trillion in the U.S. alone. 

“[If you are not marketing to them], you’ve not missed the train, just the opportunity,” said Fengler. 

He explained that currently the countries with the largest Gen X populations are in Europe and Asia. In the next year or two, it will be the U.S. 

“These are your most overlooked and most valuable customers,” Fengler said. 

Cyhan-Bowles added, “And they don’t need Costco anymore.”

They want convenience and portion control. She said that Gen X is less about clean-label foods—we were the first generation to grow up with Tab and other diet sodas—and more focused on calories and health. 

This likely explains why the plethora of dairy-based, high-protein beverages that have recently debuted in the market use artificial sweeteners to better deliver on taste, mouthfeel and price, as compared to like products that only use natural sweeteners. 

“This presents a unique opportunity for convenience store retailers and brands that can successfully capture Gen X, and their high degree of brand loyalty,” said Cyhan-Bowles “The intersection of ease of use, convenience and function positions c-stores (globally) to win with Gen X. They’re willing to pay a premium for products that assist or complement their stretched realities.

“Within c-stores, Gen X is the highest-penetration generation across the three leading c-store categories (which are non-alcoholic beverages, salty snacks and candy/gum/mints,” she said. She recommends that brands consider new formats and claims for caregiving, longevity and convenience.

Congrats to all the many brands who exhibited at NACS 2025. Dairy rocked the expo. If you are not marketing to Gen X, now’s the time to consider. And when considering, keep portion control and nutrient density top of mind. 

That’s because, “GLP-1 is not a killer of convenience. In fact, I would argue that convenience is a big friend to GLP-1 consumers,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor of consumer goods and foodservice insights at Circana. “When you look at the categories that have gained positive shifts in convenience among these customers, it screams that the portion-control convenience offers by having single-serve sizes works.” 

Dairy Innovation Ideas from Europe

 Anuga, the biennial global food exposition that took place this week in Cologne, Germany, , showcased numerous innovations that will influence what fills supermarket shelves in 2026. I scoured the halls of the expo and also visited a number of German retailers to see what’s already out there in order to bring back dairy innovation ideas to inspire the global dairy industry. Enjoy! 

For starters, Euromonitor International recently identified the key trends driving innovation in dairy around the world. Kefir, and similar fermented milk products for gut health, are leading the way, especially when fiber, botanicals and/or nootropics are included. 

Check out this new brand from Arla Foods UK. The Cultura range is all about gut health. The mildly flavored fermented dairy drinks and cup yogurts are lactose free, and loaded with probiotics, vitamins and fiber. The products were designed to deliver “accessible, science-backed nutrition” to British consumers. 

The debut includes six products: three 500-milliliter gut-health milk drinks in Original, Raspberry and Blueberry flavors, and three 450-grams yogurts in Original, Strawberry and Blueberry flavors. The drinks are slightly effervescent, while the yogurts provide a smooth, creamy texture.

Labels indicate the drinks are 89% milk and contain soluble corn fiber and lactase. Key probiotics—all supplied by today’s blog sponsor, Novonesis—include Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, BB-12 Bifidobacteria and F-19 Lactobacillus casei. The benefits of consuming these cultures are backed by many clinical studies from the past few decades. 

“Our ambition is to become the most trusted, accessible gut-health brand on shelf and to do that we’re launching a major marketing campaign from September 2025 and throughout 2026,” said Stuart Ibberson, Arla brand director. “We want to simplify complex science so consumers can feel confident about ‘giving their gut more’ every day.” 

After the trend in such fermented dairy drinks, Euromonitor cites premium refrigerated creamers that deliver barista-style experiences and trendy flavors as a booming business. Fresh cheeses—everything from cottage-style to feta to grillable formats—are also doing well because of their high-protein content and simple, clean labels.

Innovation in dairy snacks also shows no signs of slowing down. Many of these snacks are targeting specific demographics. 

ERU, for example, has a new cheese spread for children. It contains 40% less fat and 53% less sodium than ordinary cheese spreads. ERU Kids is rich in calcium, mild in flavor and suitable for children over the age of 6 months. 

Bakoma, a dairy processor in Poland, is adding a shake to its MEN Skyr line, which includes cup yogurts and refrigerated snack bars. The brand is all about building and maintaining muscle mass. It is a mixture of yogurt and fruit with live bacteria cultures that are beneficial for the digestive system. The brand emphasizes the branched-chain amino acid content, flagging it on front labels. 

The company also has new Maxi Meal, which is described as a milk-based liquid meal. Each 500-gram bottle provides 34 grams of protein along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals. All of this is communicated in detail on the bottle, a trend that is gaining momentum in beverages intended for every day meal replacements. 

Kerry Dairy Consumer Foods, which launched an oat and dairy hybrid product range last year under the Smug brand, is pivoting. The hybrid line has been cancelled, but the brand will live on in a new range of dairy snacks that will launch in January. The products are all about playful branding with a focus on nutritional benefits. 

Smug is redefining itself as an “adult-snacking dairy brand,” with an emphasis on dairy in the logo. It will include two varieties of Cheese & Crunch, which are cheese cubes with either sea salt rosemary crackers or barbecue corn bites. There’s also Quarkies, bite-sized refrigerated quark bites in raspberry and vanilla flavors.

Recognizing that the humanization of pet foods shows no signs of slowing, dairy processors are getting more creative with their offerings. Dogs have had their own ice cream for some time. Now cats have fresh milk, even value-added offerings, such as this new one with omega-3 fatty acids.  

Ready-to-drink protein coffees have become quite prevalent throughout Europe. The latest dairy to join the trend is Emmi. 

And while the effervescent, shelf-stable canned milk beverage known as Milkis first made its debut in South Korea in 1989 by Lotte, the company has plans for rapid expansion around the world. In the U.S., it complements the dirty soda trend and presents an interesting opportunity for beverage manufacturers. 

The same is true of Aryan, a yogurt drink that has been around forever in the Balkans, Turkey and Iran. The traditional beverage is often described as salty sour, and often served with a sprig of mint. A number of Anuga exhibitors are now offering the beverage in convenient single-serve packages and in flavors, such as melon and mixed berry. 

Hope you are inspired! Cheers!

Anuga 2025: Explore Refrigerated, Frozen and Shelf-Stable Dairy Dessert Innovations

It’s the eve of Anuga 2025, the biennial food and beverage exposition that takes place in Cologne, Germany. This year there will be more than 8,000 exhibitors from 110 countries.

Prior to the expo, 608 companies from 53 countries took part in the Anuga taste Innovation competition, the central showcase for the most important new products. It serves as a trend barometer and source of inspiration for global food businesses. 

I was one of the judges and had the opportunity to explore more than 1,900 innovation submissions. We selected 62 outstanding products for their originality, sustainability, market potential and creative implementation. Ten were distinguished as being especially pioneering. 

Two of the 10 are dairy foods. You got a peek at one of them a few weeks ago when I wrote about the trend in formulating with collagen. If you missed that blog, you can read it HERE. 

The product is Collagen Yoghurt from YÖMilch/DBG Deutsches Biogeschäft GmbH of Germany. The other top-10 winner is from Panfruit Ukraine. The product is shelf-stable, crunchy Freeze-Dried Ice Cream. The winning flavor is Blueberry Blackberry. The product line also comes in traditional ice cream flavors of Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla.  

Two additional dairy foods made it into the 62 outstanding innovations. One of them—another shelf-stable product—is Star Candies Freeze-Dried Vanilla Ice Cream with Protein. This high-protein snack breaks the boundaries between indulgence and functionality by combining real dairy-based ice cream with advanced freeze-drying technology and whey protein enrichment. The other outstanding dairy innovation is frozen Kefir Ice Cream with Berries and Chia Seeds. 

Here are some other innovative dairy foods that were part of the competition. 

Bubble Gum Mochi is a throwback treat with a modern twist. The flavor pops with childhood nostalgia. It’s blue ice cream wrapped in chewy pink and white double dough.

Spectaculoos Mochi features a rich, caramelized cookie flavor in the brown ice cream wrapped in a soft dough of the same shade.

Vilkyškių pieninė / VILVI Group of Lithuania has limited-edition refrigerated Murr Quark Snack Bars made with Japanese green tea matcha. There’s original Matcha, as well as Matcha Strawberry. 

Speaking to gut health, a trend discussed in last week’s blog, which you can read HERE, are a number of elevated frozen yogurt products. Chillato Premium Frozen Dessert from Greece is made with real Greek yogurt and marbled with real fruit. Varieties are Strawberry & Raspberry, Mango & Passion Fruit, Forest Berries & Blackcurrant, and Caramel with Salted Caramel Sauce. 

Ice Cream Bowls from Helados Estiu SA of Spain are real coconut shells filled with creamy açaí mango, mango coconut or açaí banana ice cream. They are designed for health-minded foodies who crave a refreshing, better-for-you treat after a workout. They also may serve as breakfast or a guilt-free treat any time of day. 

South Korea’s Lotte Wellfood Company has Joee Greek Yogurt Frozen Dessert Bars. One bar contains more than 50 million CFU of live probiotics. The bars are coated with Greek yogurt to capture the true fermented dairy flavor.

Chilled Ice Cream Desserts from Álvarez Camacho SL of Spain are handcrafted desserts that combine creamy ice cream with delicious cake pieces. What makes them unique is they are intended to be consumed at refrigerated temperature. They have a three-month frozen shelf life and a 20 day refrigerated shelf life. Varieties are Triple Chocolate, Lemon Meringue Pie, Cheesecake and the Spanish specialty: Tocino del Cielo.

France’s Tiliz has Cookie Balls. Sold in bite-sized pieces in cups, the frozen product features artisanal ice cream wrapped with chocolate chip cookie dough. Varieties are Caramel, Chocolate and Vanilla. 

The Dubai Chocolate Gelato Bomb has three luscious layers of taste: chocolate and pistachio gelato with a core of liquid pistachio all wrapped in pistachio crumble and crunchy kataifi. The product comes from Italy’s Emilia Foods. Other flavors in its Gelato Bomb Collection are Cheesecake, Chocolate, Lemon and Pistachio. They are sold in 2- and 6-pack boxes. 

From Lithuania’s Varenos Pienelis comes Dubai Style Pistachio Flavored Glazed Curd Cheese with Kadayıf Pastry Coating. This refrigerated bar features smooth pistachio-flavored curd cheese with a crispy glaze layered with kadayıf pastry, creating a unique contrast between softness and crunch. 

France’s Onoré has new Chocolate Dubai Glazed Mochi. This pistachio plant-based ice cream with kadaif has a hazelnut-flavored flowing center and is coated in a thin cocoa rice dough.

Gukapang from Lotte Wellfood is a “K-style” dessert inspired by traditional Korean street foods. The 100% plant-based frozen dessert sandwich features sweet red beans and chewy mochi inside of a rice cake wafer cookie. To preserve the chewy texture of the rice cake under freezing conditions, proprietary moisture-retention technology is applied, according to the company. 

Emilia Foods also has new Italian Gelato Macarons. These are French-style macarons filled with gelato. The crisp shell gives way to a burst of extra-creamy Italian gelato. The product is sold in boxes of 12 macarons, with two of six flavors. The varieties are: Chocolate, Hazelnut, Lemon, Pistachio, Raspberry and Sea Salt Caramel. 

And lastly, Lotte Wellfood now offers a 100% plant-based frozen dessert bar for pets and pet parents alike. 

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.