More than 20 years ago, I worked closely with Dairy Management Inc., a U.S. nonprofit organization that promotes and markets dairy products and is funded primarily by dairy farmers through the checkoff program, to develop a series of print publications called “Tools for Dairy Innovation.” I am honored to be collaborating again with DMI to share with you in this blog highlights from DMI’s Health & Wellness Playbook. Additional resources are available at Dairyinnovator.com, which you can reach by clicking on DMI’s banner ad.
If you will be attending Natural Products Expo West in less than two weeks, please stop by DMI’s The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy at booth N2211. This is on the second floor of the North Hall in the Hot New Products section. They are also hosting an educational session on March 5, 12:30 to 1:30 pm, at the Marriott in Ballroom Platinum 5.
DMI provided Dairy Forum 2026 attendees with a sneak peek of what they have been up to in terms of innovation. After all, now that we have whole milk back in schools and dairy is at the top of the inverted food pyramid, we still need to make sure products remain relevant to what consumers want from food and beverage. DMI’s Health & Wellness Playbook is one of the tools to assist you with your formulating and marketing efforts. (The Daily Dose of Dairy, of course, is another.)
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s vision is to create a future where dairy unlocks transformative good for people and the planet. A significant part of the plan is to advance the well-being of the people it serves. This includes delivering dairy nutrition that meets emerging needs in personalized health, while also enhancing nutrition security all around the world.
We have long known that “milk does the body good.” And today we know more about the how behind this and have even discovered greater benefits with consuming whole dairy foods. Emerging evidence suggests there’s a strong relationship between consumption of dairy foods and reduction in inflammation, improved digestive health and even calming of the nervous system. (I’m currently reading “Let Them” by Mel Robbins. Think of milk and dairy and the edible approach to Let Them.)
During my 30 years-plus in writing for the dairy trade, I have seen the nutrition landscape evolve, first sort of slowly, and in recent years, quite rapidly thanks to advancements in science. Consumers are embracing the “food as medicine” approach to health and wellness, and dairy has a prominent role in it.
This landscape presents an opportunity to re-establish dairy nutrition leadership. By modernizing dairy’s health and wellness benefits and advancing new innovations that meet personalized needs, we—together--can increase dairy’s relevance and consumption across life stages.
DMI’s Health & Wellness playbook can assist. The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy conducted research that identified 37 health conditions that consumers are actively managing. These were clustered together to create eight demand moments. These demand moments were then evaluated and scored based on level of science, dollar sales opportunities, openness to dairy and existing consumer dissatisfaction.
The playbook dives deeper into four of the demand moments, providing finished product concepts and approaches to marketing the product to different demographics. I cannot give it all away in this space but can share that the top-four demand moments represent more than a $150 billion market opportunity.
They are, in order of valuation:
- Growth and Performance (conditions addressed include bone health, energy, hydration and physical/athletic performance)
- Healthy Heart and Weight (conditions addressed include heart health, metabolic health and weight management)
- System Supercharge (conditions addressed include digestive health, general health and joint health/mobility)
- Mental and Emotional Health and Wellness (conditions addressed include cognition, fast-acting energy and mindfulness)
At Dairy Forum 2026, DMI sampled the Daylee prototype, an on-the-go nutrition shake line that starts with a whey protein base that delivers 24 grams of complete protein per serving. Daylee can come in four varieties, each specially formulated to address a specific need.
- Clarity & Focus contains L-Theanine.
- Digestive Health contains Fiber and Probiotics.
- Energy contains B12 Vitamins.
- Inflammation & Joint Health contains Cinnamon and Turmeric.
Another prototype was Elevate, a refrigerated dairy creamer-style product that can whiten coffee, but it can also be used to make dirty soda, overnight oats and more. Each serving is crafted with a targeted nutrition blend including 10 grams of protein. Elevate can come in four varieties, each specially formulated to address a specific need.
- Balance contains Collagen and Vitamins A and K to promote skin health.
- Calm contains Magnesium and L-Theanine to support restful sleep.
- Revive contains Vitamin C and Miracle Berry to support the immune system.
- Soothe contains Antioxidants and Probiotics to support overall health and gut health.
Check out this product from Australia, which highlight milk’s inherent electrolytes on the front of package. Milk naturally contains key electrolytes, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. This is something every dairy marketer can be doing right now, especially in flavored milk drink boxes for hydration before, during and after playing sports.
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