Formulating with Yogurt

Photo Source: U.S. Dairy Export Council


On Tuesday, March 5, The Huffington Post published an article about Greek yogurt invading other food stuffs, from cream cheese to hummus. You can read the article HERE.

Wow, the industry moves fast. It was just the week before that my article entitled “Made with Yogurt” was published in Food Business News/Dairy Business News. You can read the article HERE.

All kidding aside, formulating with yogurt, not just Greek yogurt, is a growing trend in almost all food categories.  Innovations flagging the inclusion of yogurt are banking on the fact that yogurt’s healthful halo will transfer, enhancing product appeal among today’s label-reading consumers.

However, not all yogurt ingredients are created equal. For starters, most non-refrigerated products rely on yogurt ingredients that have been heat treated, thus they do not contain live and active cultures unless specialty heat-tolerant probiotics are added. Still, use of such heat-treated yogurt ingredients, which typically come in a dried format, contain the nutrition found in the original yogurt, such as calcium and protein.  You can read more about dried yogurt ingredients HERE.

Refrigerated and frozen products will typically use fresh yogurt with live and active cultures. But depending on the application, this yogurt is often formulated for use in a specific application, as viscosity, syneresis and texture must be managed to best complement the other ingredients.

To engage in this “formulating with yogurt” movement, dairy processors can supply the food and beverage industries with yogurt ingredients—in refrigerated bulk or dried (produced in-house or by contracting with a drier) forms—and they can use their own yogurt to get creative in their product offerings.  Again, yogurt manufacturers must be open to creating formulations for specific applications.

Here are 10 product concepts to assist with your innovating endeavors. (You can also view more HERE.)

Kefir, a cultured milk considered the Eastern European cousin of yogurt, now comes in freeze-dried form. Though the product is shelf stable, the freeze-drying process preserves the viability of the cultures. The same is true for most of the similar freeze-dried yogurt snacks that have rolled out in the past year.

Lifeway Foods, the United States’ leading kefir manufacturer, introduced Lifeway ProBugs Bites at the 2013 Natural Products Expo West trade show at the Anaheim Convention Center. These tiny freeze-dried kefir melts quickly dissolve in baby’s mouth for safe and easy self-feeding. Varieties are: Orange Creamy Crawler, Goo-Berry Pie and Strawnana Split flavors. Product packs carry the tagline: made by moms. (Thanks Julie…you are amazing!) For more information, visit HERE.

At the same show, Sprout Foods rolled out a lne of toddler snacks that are based on Greek yogurt, grains and fruit. The shelf-stable snacks come in the increasingly popular, kid-friendly squeeze pouch. Varieties are Blueberry Brown Rice with Greek Yogurt, Red Berry Barley with Greek Yogurt and Tropical Oatmeal with Greek Yogurt.
For more information, visit HERE.

  

The Gerber brand includes yogurt in many of its snack and meal offerings. Here’s one of the most recent introductions, which is targeted to toddlers who like to play with their food.

For more information, visit HERE.

Packaging for fruit- and yogurt-based smoothies continues to evolve as manufacturers try to deliver the freshest product to consumers, yet with a shelf life that allows for efficient distribution. That’s what Dole Packaged Foods hopes it has achieved with the new Dole Fruit Smoothie Shaker product, where the packaging is integral to the consumption of the product.  

The user-friendly, functional and attractive high-end single-serve container solves a convenience hurdle that limited home consumption of hand-blended smoothie-type products. The product contains both frozen fruit and yogurt. A special proprietary process eliminates the need for a blender, which is one of the biggest complaints consumers have about making smoothies at home, according to the company. Simply unscrew the cap, add juice to the fill line, re-apply the cap and shake for about 30 to 45 seconds. The result is a perfectly blended smoothie, just like from the local smoothie shop. Each low-fat smoothie contains real yogurt with live and active cultures, including probiotics, as well as prebiotic fiber.

For more information, visit HERE.

Yogurt is even a sandwich filling! Make that a frozen novelty sandwich filling. TCBY, The Country’s Best Yogurt and frozen yogurt pioneer, is in a licensing partnership with Spring Creek Holdings for a retail line of pre-packaged frozen yogurt. This includes an extensive line of pints and quarts of hard-pack frozen yogurt, as well as a variety of novelties, including frozen yogurt sandwiches and bars.

For more information, visit HERE.

The Popsicle brand is incorporating yogurt into an array of frozen novelties…to be specific, 10% yogurt is in each novelty. Some of the novelties enrobe a core of frozen yogurt with a flavorful water ice, while others swirl or layer different flavors of a yogurt-based dessert.

For more information, visit HERE.

Move over garbanzo beans. Greek yogurt is the base for a new line of innovative refrigerated dips from La Terra Fina. The dips are merchandised in the self-service deli case next to hummus.

Each of the three lines has two flavors. They are:

1)    Salad Inspired: A riff on gourmet salad entrees, these dips pair fresh chopped vegetables with Greek yogurt, resulting in combinations with approximately half the fat and calories than regular dips.

• Greek Kalamata Olives & Spinach: Leafy spinach and sun-dried tomatoes are blended with creamy Greek yogurt then finished with a fresh squeeze of lemon and salty Kalamata olives.
• Balsamic Beet & White Bean: The natural sweetness of nutrient-rich beets is a perfect complement for Greek yogurt, with a savory touch of basil and salty Parmesan cheese and a splash of Balsamic vinegar.

2)    Creamy Vegetable: A blend of summer vegetables, herbs and Greek yogurt, the vegetable fusion flavors are ideal for a light dip or sandwich spread as an alternative to hummus, but with up to 65% less fat and fewer calories.

• Roasted Yellow Pepper & Lentil: Yellow bell peppers are roasted, then blended with savory red lentils and tangy Greek yogurt for a perfect balance of sweet and savory.
• Red Lentil Curry: Roasted garlic and spicy curry add a rich layer to this blend of creamy Greek yogurt and simmered red lentils for a hearty dip.

3)    Mediterranean Classics: An update on snacking favorites, the classics line adds chef-influenced flavors to popular stand-bys.

• Creamy Spinach & Bacon: Roasted garlic and smoky bacon kick the classic spinach dip up a notch.
• Caramelized Onion: Rich caramelized red onions with a hint of balsamic are blended with tangy Greek yogurt for a healthier and more flavorful alternative to this party favorite.

For more information, visit HERE.

Refrigerated salad dressing manufacturer T. Marzetti Co., uses yogurt as its base in the Simply Dressed & Light line, which includes four creamy-style light dressings (blue cheese, Caesar, celery seed slaw and ranch), all of which are made with a minimal number of all-natural, simple ingredients. When comparing the nutritionals of the Blue Cheese variety in the Simply Dressed and the Simply Dressed & Light lines, the latter has about a one-third fewer calories and half the calories of the former thanks to the use of yogurt.
For more information, visit HERE.

The Safeway retail chain continues to grow its Open Nature brand of all-natural foods. This Tzatziki yogurt dip uses kefir yogurt as a base. A 2-tablespoon serving contains 40 calories and 3.5 grams of fat.
For more information, visit HERE.

Specialty foods retailer Trader Joe’s now offers private-label Mediterranean Greek Yogurt Dip. The ingredient statement lists Greek yogurt (cultured pasteurized grade A milk, cream, condensed skim milk, whey protein concentrate, tapioca starch, pectin) as the first ingredient, followed by feta cheese. Za’atar seasoning (sesame seed, spices, sumac, salt, roasted sesame oil) gives the dip its unique flavor profile. A 2-tablespoon serving contains 60 calories, 5 grams of fat and 1 gram of protein.


As America gears up for the summer picnic season, expect to see yogurt used in more deli salads, including close slaw, potato salad and macaroni.

Protein for Breakfast--and When They Are Dairy Proteins, You Get Better Benefits

It was wonderful to see so many of you at IFT Wellness this week. Congratulations to the Institute of Food Technologists on another wonderful conference.

A well-attended session--Healthier Living: Protein Needs for Physical Performance--put dairy in the spotlight. The speakers reviewed research that supports higher protein intake levels than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). These increased levels are designed for optimum muscle health and function rather than simply the minimum level to prevent deficiency. 

One of the speakers, Donald Layman, professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, my alma mater, explained that data indicates all humans need about the same amount of dietary protein every day for basic lean muscle repair and remodeling. To reap other benefits—those for optimum performance—one must consider the quality of the protein and the quantity of the protein at every meal, in particular breakfast.

Simply, data suggests that every meal should include 30 grams of high-quality protein (contains all nine essential amino acids), and is particularly high in the branched-chain amino acid leucine (a trigger for many of the benefits associated with protein consumption). This is the amount of protein for the body to function at its best.

This magic number is 30 grams of protein…at every meal.

“This is very important at smaller meals, which often tend to be overloaded with carbohydrates and fat,” said Dr. Layman.

The good news is when you focus on increasing high-quality protein concentrated in leucine, the carbs and fat naturally get decreased. So, if one focuses on the protein content of the diet, the rest falls into place.

Here’s the even better news. Of all the protein ingredients available to food and beverage manufacturers, whey protein isolate contains the most leucine: 11%. Milk protein concentrate comes in second at 9.5%, followed by egg protein at 8.8%. 

What does this mean for dairy processors? For starters, marketers need to promote the inherent high-quality protein content of fluid milk so that more consumers reach for a glass at every meal. In fact, the inherent protein content of all dairy foods is a great marketing tool.

On the innovation side, by starting with a source of high-quality protein—milk—and boosting protein with one or more of these ingredients, dairy foods become the ideal product to get many consumers to that magic number of 30 grams of protein at every meal.

Breakfast Opportunity

Breakfast tends to be one of the more challenging meals to consume enough protein, especially for those consumers who eat on the run. Here are two new on-the-go dairy-based beverages to the rescue. 

General Mills is rolling out BFAST, a nutritious breakfast shake based on nonfat milk. Each shelf-stable prisma carton contains 180 to 190 calories, depending on flavor, and 8 grams of protein. The majority of the protein comes from milk, but some of the other ingredients, including whole grain quinoa, also contribute to the protein content. The whole grains and inulin allow for the content claims of: 8 grams of whole grain and 3 grams of fiber per serving.

The product is marketed as a shelf-stable, dairy-based, portable breakfast shake with the nutrition of a bowl of cereal and milk, including vitamins and minerals, fiber, protein and whole grain. It is designed for the on-the-go millennial who may otherwise skip breakfast. BFAST comes in three flavors: berry, chocolate and vanilla. 

BFAST was introduced regionally in the Northeast in December. The suggested retail price is $1.79 for singles; $4.49 for three-pack. For more information, visit HERE.

Later this year, Kellogg Company will be rolling out nationally its Breakfast To Go milk-based drink. With 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber in each 10-ounce shelf-stable shake, the company believes this beverage is a great start to the day. The beverage is made with a protein blend based on nonfat milk, whey protein concentrate and soy protein isolate.

The aseptically packaged plastic bottles are sold in packs of four in three flavors: Milk Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla.

For more information, visit HERE.

And here’s some news from the Global Dairy Platform…

New Method to Assess Quality of Dietary Proteins
A groundbreaking report by an Expert Consultation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) has recommended a new, advanced method for assessing the quality of dietary proteins.
The report, “Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition,” recommends that the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) replace the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) as the preferred method of measuring protein quality. The report recommends that more data be developed to support full implementation, but in the interim, protein quality should be calculated using DIAAS values derived from fecal crude protein digestibility data. Under the current PDCAAS method, values are “truncated” to a maximum score of 1.00, even if scores derived are higher.

Protein is vital to support the health and well-being of human populations. However, not all proteins are alike as they vary according to their origin (animal vs. vegetable), their individual amino acid composition and their level of amino acid bioactivity. “High quality proteins” are those that are readily digestible and contain the dietary essential amino acids in quantities that correspond to human requirements.

“Over the next 40 years, three billion people will be added to today’s global population of 6.6 billion. Creating a sustainable diet to meet their nutritive needs is an extraordinary challenge that we won’t be able to meet unless we have accurate information to evaluate a food’s profile and its ability to deliver nutrition,” says Paul Moughan, co-director of the Riddet Institute, who chaired the FAO Expert Consultation. “The recommendation of the DIAAS method is a dramatic change that will finally provide an accurate measure of the amounts of amino acids absorbed by the body and an individual protein source’s contribution to a human’s amino acid and nitrogen requirements. This will be an important piece of information for decision makers assessing which foods should be part of a sustainable diet for our growing global population.”

Using the DIAAS method, researchers are now able to differentiate protein sources by their ability to supply amino acids for use by the body. For example, the DIAAS method was able to demonstrate the higher bioavailability of dairy proteins when compared to plant-based protein sources. Data in the FAO report showed whole milk powder to have a DIAAS score of 1.22, far superior to the DIAAS score of 0.64 for peas and 0.40 for wheat. When compared to the highest refined soy isolate, dairy protein DIAAS scores were 10% to 30% higher. 

DIAAS determines amino acid digestibility, at the end of the small intestine, providing a more accurate measure of the amounts of amino acids absorbed by the body and the protein’s contribution to human amino acid and nitrogen requirements. PDCAAS is based on an estimate of crude protein digestibility determined over the total digestive tract, and values stated using this method generally overestimate the amount of amino acids absorbed. Some food products may claim high-protein content, but since the small intestine does not absorb all amino acids the same, they are not providing the same contribution to a human’s nutritional requirements. 

Since its adoption by FAO/WHO in 1991, the PDCAAS method had been widely accepted but also criticized for a number of reasons. In addition to the issues of truncation and overestimation, PDCAAS did not adequately adjust for foods susceptible to damage from processing and anti-nutritionals, which can make some amino acids unavailable for absorption.

“We support the recommendations of the FAO Expert Consultation, including the immediate use of DIAAS values calculated from fecal crude protein digestibility data,” says Donald Moore, executive director, Global Dairy Platform. “Immediately removing ‘truncation’ will provide health professionals, regulators and policy makers a more accurate representation of which foods provide the highest quality of nutrition. We urge industry to support the additional research required to enable implementation of the more accurate DIAAS method. ”

Iced Tea, Lemonade, Juices and Drinks: 10 Trendy Beverage Concepts that Dairies Will Want to Deliver

Bottle, box, can, carton and jug—dairies put milk into these containers and many also package non-dairy beverages, most notably iced tea and lemonade. And while many dairies have shelf-stable fluid filling and packaging systems, the majority focus on fresh, refrigerated distribution.

Refreshments sold through the chilled channel are gaining appeal among today’s health-conscious consumers. This is because these perishable products suggest minimal processing and naturalness, two attributes that the growing number of consumers focusing on what they put in their body find attractive. And with beverages such as iced tea sporting a healthful halo (see section at end of blog that discusses tea’s better-for-you benefits), it is no wonder why more and more dairies are growing their refreshment line.

Today’s Consumers Want Better-for-You Beverages

The future of the beverage industry is nutritious and functional drinks made from high-quality ingredients and pure water, marked by an undeniable accountability for the effects of processing, packaging and distribution. According to Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert, “2013 is going to be a very interesting year for beverages, especially healthy beverages. The beverage industry is going to heat up. We’ve seen a war against unhealthy, high-calorie, sugary beverages and over consumption, starting with New York’s size regulation and Coca Cola’s advertising about obesity factors. Now, consumers are going to want to understand what makes a beverage healthy, and they’re going to want a variety of healthy options at their supermarket. Without a doubt, beverage manufacturers of all kinds need to prepare for certain change, as we’re entering a realm that may not be comfortable for antiquated beverage businesses."

Lempert will be the keynote speaker at Healthy Beverage Expo, which will be held June 7 to 9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event is co-located with World Tea Expo. For more information on Healthy Beverage Expo visit HERE; for World Tea Expo, visit HERE.

“The future is huge for healthy beverages,” says Lempert. “I anticipate more demand for healthy beverages and a very interesting product development cycle in the near future. Now is a critical time for the industry to delve into this segment. Indeed, recent news and attacks on unhealthy beverages and sodas has not changed behavior. So we need to get back to the basics and communicate and educate consumers; help customers understand the definition of a healthy beverage; make them aware of the healthy beverage options on the shelf; and promote the benefits of these types of drinks. And rather than trying to glamorize products, manufacturers need to emphasize the simple facts and ingredients of their beverages. In tandem, we need to keep evolving our healthy beverages in terms of taste. Because as we all know; if it doesn’t taste good--even if it’s healthy--consumers won’t buy into it. Taste is No. 1.”

Dairies are well poised to deliver on health and taste. And if it’s made by a dairy, it has to be good!

10 Trendy Beverage Concepts

Turkey Hill has long been a leader in the refrigerated ready-to-drink tea category. The company uses the tagline “Cold Fashioned for Freshness.” Some of the dairy’s more recent flavor combinations include Cherry Pomegranate Black Tea, Diet Blackberry Sweet Tea and Light Wildberry Green Tea.

For more information on Turkey Hill’s iced teas, visit HERE.

  

Less sugar and fewer calories is a growing trend in juice drinks. National Beverage Corp., recently introduced Everfresh ½. The juices, which come in six varieties--Apple, Carrot-Orange, Cranberry, Orange, Pineapple and Ruby Red Grapefruit—contain half the sugar and half the calories of their original 100% pure juice counterpart. The single-serve juices come in 16-ounce glass bottles.

For more information on Everfresh ½, visit HERE.

ITO EN now markets Teas’ Tea Plus half & HALF. This ready-to-drink tea beverage line is made from fresh-brewed green tea that is infused with fruits juices and other flavors. Varieties are: Coconut Water, Grape, Green Apple, Lemonade and Peach. Each 16.9-ounce square plastic bottle contains two servings, with each serving providing 50 calories. The drink is slightly sweetened with cane sugar and a touch of stevia. 

For more information on Teas’ Tea Plus half & HALF, visit HERE.

  

  The FUZE brand of uniquely flavored non-carbonated beverages, which is now under the ownership of The Coca-Cola Co., recently entered the tea and juice drink category. Varieties are: Berry Punch, Half Tea Half Lemonade, Honey & Ginseng Green Tea, Lemon, Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry Red Tea and Sweet Tea.

For more information on FUZE Tea, visit HERE.

Another Coca-Cola brand—Honest Tea—is extending its reach in the kids’ beverage category with new Honest Splash. Designed for older kids, the new line of 70-calorie juice drinks will be sold exclusively at Target from mid-March until the end of June, when the drinks will roll out to other retailers. Each 12-ounce plastic bottle contains about 30% juice, its sole source of sweetness. Varieties are: Berry Good Lemonade, Goodness Grapeness and Super Fruit Punch.

For more information on Honest Tea, visit HERE.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, AriZona Beverages has rolled out numerous new concepts, including the Golden Bear line. This lemonade concept pays tribute to legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, whose nickname is Golden Bear. The line debuted in five varieties, Original with ginseng and honey (in regular and 10-calorie formulations), Mango, Mint and Strawberry. New flavors will roll out in 2013, with the first being Pink Lemonade. For more information on Arizona Golden Bear Lemonade, visit HERE.

  

The company also added a strawberry flavor to its popular Arnold Palmer line of half lemonade and half iced tea.

For more information on Arizona Arnold Palmer Strawberry, visit HERE.

Evolution Fresh Inc., a company acquired by Starbucks in 2011, continues to be creative with its juice and beverage concepts. The company is one of the few major juice companies in the U.S. using high-pressure processing (HPP) to safely deliver more of the flavors, vitamins and nutrients of raw fruits and vegetables. Evolution Fresh offers an extensive portfolio of bottled juices for sale through retail markets and select Starbucks stores.

Sold at a premium, varieties can be simple, yet unique. That’s what you get with Spicy Lemonade, which combines lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper. They can also be quite complex. Incredible Vegetables combines the juices from carrot, apple, celery, lemongrass, beets, spinach, lime, parsley and ginger, while Sweet Greens is a medley of celery, apple, cucumber, spinach, parsley, romaine, lemon, lime, wheatgrass and clover sprouts. For more information on Evolution Fresh, visit HERE.

Oceans Omega LLC, recently debuted Omega Infusion, a clear, zero-calorie, omega-3 fatty acid-enhanced water beverage. One 12-fluid-ounce bottle of Omega Infusion water delivers 40 milligrams of both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 200% of the Daily Value of vitamin C and 80% of the Daily Value of vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12. Flavors are Berry, Citrus, Fruit Punch and Orange.

For more information on Omega Infusion Water, visit HERE.

Abbott now offers Ensure Clear, a fruit-flavored nutrition beverage available in Peach and Blueberry Pomegranate flavors. Ensure Clear offers three times more protein (from whey protein isolate) than juice, along with 21 essential vitamins and minerals to help adults looking to fill dietary gaps. A first-of-its-kind in the nutritional supplement beverage category, this clear, fruit-flavored beverage was designed to attract new users to the category.

For more information on Ensure Clear, visit HERE.

For more information about ingredients used in the formulation of clear beverages, please link to this article I recently wrote on the topic for FOOD BUSINESS NEWS/BEVERAGE BUSINESS NEWS.

New Findings Released at the 5th International Scientific Symposium on Tea & Human Health

With tea being the second most consumed beverage in the world, next to water, interest in its potential health benefits has grown exponentially; in just the past five years there have been more than 5,600 scientific studies on tea, forming a substantial body of research on this ubiquitous beverage. Many of these studies were discussed at the 5th International Scientific Symposium on Tea & Human Health, which was held in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19, 2012.
Among the findings is research suggesting that green tea and caffeine may trigger energy expenditure that may promote weight loss. Another study illustrates how tea may help counter the adverse effects of high-fat foods on blood vessels, which could possibly reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, the most common cause of death in the U.S.

“There is now an overwhelming body of research from around the world indicating that drinking tea can enhance human health,” said meeting chair, Jeffrey Blumberg, professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Director, Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston. “The many bioactive compounds in tea appear to impact virtually every cell in the body to help improve health outcomes, which is why the consensus emerging from this symposium is that drinking at least a cup of green, black, white or oolong tea a day can contribute significantly to the promotion of public health.”

Tea and Heart Health
Numerous studies suggest tea supports heart health and healthy blood pressure, and appears to be associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart attack. New research presented by Claudio Ferri, MD, University L’Aquila, Italy, found in 19 normotensive and 19 hypertensive individuals that black tea was able to reduce blood pressure. In the hypertensive patients, black tea appeared to counteract the negative effects of a high-fat meal on blood pressure and arterial blood flow. Hypertensive subjects were instructed to drink a cup of tea after a meal that contained .45 grams fat/lb. body weight. The results suggest that tea prevented the reduction in flow mediated dilation (FMD), the arterial ability to increase blood flow that occurs after a high-fat meal. In a previous study conducted by Ferri, tea improved FMD from 7.8% to 10.3%, and reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by -2.6 and -2.2 mmHg, respectively, in study participants.

“Our studies build on previous work to clearly show that drinking as little as one cup of tea per day supports healthy arterial function and blood pressure. These results suggest that on a population scale, drinking tea could help reduce significantly the incidence of stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases,” concluded Dr. Ferri. 

Tea and Body Weight 
Obesity is the largest public health concern in the United States and there are few strategies that provide long-term success. New research on tea catechins suggests that they may provide a benefit in maintaining body weight or promoting weight loss. In a comprehensive review of the published data on this topic, researchers from Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands, found that 24-hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation increased when subjects consumed green tea and  caffeine. The results of a meta-analysis suggest that the increase in caloric expenditure is equal to about 100 calories over a 24-hour period, or 0.13 calories per milligrams of catechins. In addition, green tea and caffeine also appear to boost fat oxidation over 24 hours by an average of 16% or 0.02 grams per milligrams of catechins. In a related review, researchers concluded that subjects consuming green tea and caffeine lost an average of 2.9 pounds within 12 weeks, while adhering to their regular diet.

Beverages now account for 20% of total calories in the typical American diet. “As tea is calorie-free, it’s an ideal choice to help consumers meet fluid requirements without adding calories to their diet, and the modest increase in energy expenditure and fat oxidation can also add to the role of tea as part of a healthy, calorie-controlled diet that promotes weight loss or maintenance,” explained researcher Rick Hursel, of Maastricht University, The Netherlands.

Tea and Bone and Muscle Strength
Osteoporosis is a major public health concern for many older women and men as the disease is responsible for two million fractures a year and 300,000 hip fractures in 2005. The disease leads to loss of mobility, independence and reduces quality of life for many older Americans.

Researchers at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center conducted studies with 150 postmenopausal women with low bone mass to see if the addition of green tea flavanols, Tai Chi exercise or both green tea plus Tai Chi could help improve markers for bone health and muscle strength in study participants. At the end of the six-month clinical trial they found that 500 milligrams of green tea extract (equivalent to four to six cups of green tea daily), alone or in combination with Tai Chi, improved markers for bone formation, reduced markers of inflammation and increased muscle strength in study participants.

“The results of our study are consistent with earlier work suggesting that green tea flavanols exert bone health benefits by reducing inflammation and providing antioxidant protection. Our work suggests that green tea and weight bearing exercise like Tai Chi may be an effective way to help improve muscular strength, reduce inflammation and improve bone biomarkers, which may help reduce the risk for osteoporosis and fractures among older Americans,” said Chwan-Li (Leslie) Shen, lead researcher, at Texas Tech University Health  Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas.

Tea May Improve Mental Sharpness
Consuming black tea improved attention and self-reported alertness in a human study conducted by Unilever R&D, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands. In this placebo-controlled study, designed to measure attention, task performance and alertness, subjects drinking tea were more accurate on an attention task and also felt more alert than subjects drinking a placebo. This work supports earlier studies on the mental benefits of tea. In addition, two other studies provide a broader perspective on tea’s effects on psychological well-being, showing benefits for tiredness and self-reported work performance, as well as mood and creative problem solving. These studies provide support for tea’s benefits for mental sharpness, as measured by attention, mood and performance. 

According to symposium  presenter Suzanne Einöther from Unilever, “In our study with adult subjects, we found drinking tea improved attention and allowed individuals to be more focused on the task at hand. These effects were found for two to three cups of tea consumed within a time period of up to 90 minutes.”

Bioactive Compounds in Tea
The leaves of the Camellia sinensis (tea) plant contain thousands of bioactive compounds that have been identified, quantified and studied for their mechanisms of action. While many of these compounds act as antioxidant flavonoids, not all of tea’s benefits are thought to be solely from antioxidant activity.

New research presented by Alan Crozier of the University of Glasgow, UK, revealed that while many tea flavonoids in green and black tea are digested and absorbed, others are more resistant to digestion and travel mostly intact to the lower gastrointestinal tract, where they provide a probiotic effect by enabling beneficial bacteria to thrive. 

Tea Provides Profound Health Benefits
This data provide further evidence of tea’s potential role in promoting good health, perhaps due to the fact that tea flavonoids are the major contributors of total flavonoid intake in the U.S. diet:

• Tea drinking may play a role in helping to prevent cells from becoming cancerous; 
• Tea may play a role in enhancing the effect of chemotherapy drugs used for treating certain cancers; and
• Flavonoids in tea, among other compounds present in tea leaves, may help ward off inflammation and vascular damage linked to chronic conditions associated with aging.

“As the second most consumed beverage in the world next to water, tea accounts for a significant amount of the flavanol intake worldwide,” stated Joe Simrany, president, Tea Council of the USA, which has been spear-heading this International Tea & Human Health Symposium since 1991. “This gathering of renowned global nutrition scientists is the world’s leading platform to release new research on tea, and acts as a catalyst for continuing research on tea in areas as diverse and novel as cognitive function, bone growth, weight management, cancer and vascular function.”

Inclusions in Action—10 Innovative Uses of Inclusions in New Dairy Foods

Photo Source: SunRidge Farms

Wednesday’s Daily Dose of Dairy featured a unique cheddar cheese that contained an abundance of large flakes of rich dark chocolate. If you missed it, you can read about it HERE.

This product sparked some interesting dialogue with a number of subscribers, all of them asking how it is possible to get chocolate flakes in cheddar cheese. Honestly, I don’t know the answer, but it does confirm that anything is possible. Of course, it’s one thing to write or talk about innovative inclusion ideas. It’s another to actually see inclusions in action, such as the cheddar with chocolate.

Here are nine other new dairy foods that feature innovative inclusions.

Private-label retailer Trader Joe’s now offers an ice cream novelty that thinks it’s cheesecake. The product combines blueberry variegate with cheesecake-flavored ice cream. What looks like a wedge of pie comes on a stick, with the sides resembling a graham cracker crust. 

The company is on a role. (And by the way, that cheddar chocolate is from Aldi, Trader Joe’s parent company.) Trader Joe’s also shows us a new way to consume the superfood kale. With Greek yogurt as a base, the company gives some zing to traditional spinach dip by including kale. The product is described as containing 50% less fat and calories than traditional spinach dip, which is usually made with a combination of sour cream and mayonnaise. 

Speaking of Greek yogurt, Chobani continues to shake up the segment with a number of new products that make use of innovative inclusion combinations. “Our goal at Chobani is to continue building upon the limitless possibilities of Greek yogurt, and create innovative products specifically designed for usage occasions,” says John Heath, vice president of new ventures and innovation. “Using consumer insights, we look across the pleasure spectrum--flavors, textures, taste combinations and packaging formats--to bring new excitement and enjoyment to our deliciously simple, authentic yogurt.”

New Chobani Bite is an indulgent yet guilt free snack. These convenient, 3.5-ounce cups of blended Greek nonfat and low-fat yogurt come in four crave-worthy flavors: Fig with Orange Zest, Caramel with Pineapple, Coffee with Dark Chocolate Chips and Raspberry with Dark Chocolate Chips.

There’s also new Chobani Flip, where the consumer just flips the lid to add bold, delicious inclusions to Greek yogurt. These easy-to-grab, 5.3-ounce cups are available in six flavor pairings: Vanilla Golden Crunch (vanilla nonfat yogurt with cornflakes, honey oats and pecans), Key Lime Crumble (key lime low-fat yogurt with graham crumble and white chocolate), Strawberry Sunrise (strawberry nonfat yogurt with honey oats), Honey Beenana (honey low-fat yogurt with banana), Almond Coco Loco (coconut low-fat yogurt with dark chocolate and sliced toasted almonds) and Raspberry Choco Fix (vanilla chocolate chip low-fat yogurt with raspberries). For more information, visit HERE.

16 Handles is an innovative frozen yogurt and dessert brand that encourages guests to “Flaunt Their Flavor.” The 30-unit chain with stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland and Florida, recently introduced Mocha Java Chip. This proprietary new addition pairs a delicious dark chocolate taste with fresh, micro-ground coffee beans for an authentically refreshing pick me up. The flavor is available as a frozen yogurt treat and is also being featured in 16 Handles’ new Hot Chocolate Affogato, a frozen hot chocolate beverage that pairs premium Fro-Yo with Ghirardelli hot chocolate. For more information, visit HERE.

Sartori Cheese launched Chai BellaVitano at the Winter Fancy Food Show. It is the newest Sartori Reserve cheese and has been in development for quite some time. Sartori’s Artisan Master Cheesemaker, Mike Matucheski, explains, “It takes a lot of experimenting with different flavors and different combinations to find the perfect blend to marry with our BellaVitano Gold.  We found that the savory notes of the chai tea rub makes for an exotic pairing with the sweet, creamy and fruity flavors of BellaVitano.” 

“Chai is now becoming a regular menu item at coffee shops throughout the U.S. and is showing up in lattes, smoothies and even milkshakes,” says Chad Vincent, chief marketing officer. “The spices in chai, such as cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg tend to give people a sense of well-being and also have an abundance of health benefits. We wanted to deliver a new way of thinking when it comes to chai, and that was by hand rubbing our BellaVitano cheese with chai ingredients.”
For more information, visit HERE.

From AbroadLong Clawson Dairy, a large U.K. cheese producer, has spiced up its cheddar offerings with three new flavors: Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and Tabasco Original Pepper Sauce. The cheeses also come in a variety of packages—snacking portions, slices, deli blocks, and wedges--to meet different use occasions. For more information, visit HERE.

New Zealand’s Mammoth Supply Co., a business of Fonterra Brands, recently introduced Mammoth brand yogurts. The products are designed with a man’s appetite in mind. It’s not so much the characterizing fruits that make these yogurts unique, it’s the 5% to 6.5% (varies by flavor) inclusion of a seeds and grains blend comprised of: buckwheat, chia seeds, linseed, quinoa, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Some varieties also contain 0.5% pearl barley. Yogurt flavors are: Apple & Blueberry, Apple Pie with Cinnamon, Apricot & Manuka Honey, Berry Black Forest and Lemon & Passionfruit.

For more information, visit HERE.

Dutch cheese specialist Vandersterre Groep International B.V., now makes Landana Wasabi. This product combines mild Landana cheese with spicy wasabi and lightly sweet fine bits of seaweed.
For more information, visit HERE.

Get InnovativeLooking for some creative ideas for your next big ice cream hit? Plan to attend IDFA’s popular Ice Cream Technology Conference, March 12 to 13 in St. Petersburg, Fla. 
For more information, visit HERE.

I will actually kick off the two-day meeting with my presentation entitled: The Next Scoop: An Analysis of Consumer and Marketplace Trends for Tomorrow’s Big Hit. (You can get a sneak peak at some of the ice cream trends I will address by reading my Nov. 16, 2012 blog HERE.)

IDFA has added several new sessions to this year’s meeting, including the two-part “Chocolate Academy” and the “Mystery Basket” challenge. In the two-part Chocolate Academy, attendees will learn the fundamentals of chocolate and chocolate compounds with a focus on formulation and applications that inspire best practices and troubleshooting for ice cream and novelties. These sessions include a tasting of top food trends as they come to life in ice cream.

The Ice Cream Flavor Mystery Basket session will borrow a concept from the popular Food Network cooking show “Chopped.” Attendees will work in teams using the mystery baskets’ secret ingredients that represent the latest culinary trends identified by three flavor supplier creators.

“The ice cream technologists who attend this conference are some of the most creative, innovative people in the food industry, so we work hard to keep the conference program fresh and cutting edge,” says Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs and host of the Ice Cream Technology Conference.

Hope to see you there!

Dairy’s Role in Schools

We know milk is a critical component of the lunches served to school children. But other dairy foods play an important role in the meals and lessons taking place in our nation’s schools. Here are five programs to read about.

1) Milk Delivers

In case you need to be brought up to speed, click HERE.

2) Greek Yogurt on the Menu

USDA is asking the Greek yogurt industry to come up with a strategy for providing the high-protein yogurt in bulk through the federal school breakfast and lunch programs.

Read more HERE.

3) Cheese and Yogurt Add Appeal to School Salads 

Ready Pac, Irwindale, CA, hosted “Salad Day” at Osage Elementary School in Voorhees County New Jersey on Jan. 23, 2013. The event helped raise awareness of New Jersey’s innovative strides to combat childhood obesity, starting with healthy school meals.

Students from grades one through five were invited to sample Ready Pac Cool Cuts bowl salads, which are among multiple healthy school lunch choices available to students.

“We could not have asked for a better day [and] the kids loved the salads,” says Deborah Zee, director of food services, Voorhees Township Public Schools, who organized the event. “I think if more schools would try a day like we just had they would see how much the students eat and enjoy healthier offerings like salads.”

Ready Pac Cool Cuts salads and mini-meals are designed for elementary and middle school children. The line features five salad items and four mini-meals that include fresh produce and tasty proteins. Some of them include dairy in the form of cheese and yogurt. 

Read more HERE.

New Jersey school foodservice directors have been hard at work to implement the strict federal guidelines for school meals. Their programs, as part of the National School Lunch program, have key requirements including portion sizes that may be challenging to meet. Ready Pac’s fresh meals and snacks for schools help foodservice directors meet the guidelines, are kid-friendly and provide variety.

4) Pastry School Promotes Dairy to its Students

I was fortunate to spend my Thursday morning at The French Pastry School of Chicago learning how critical dairy products are to their programs. The school has maintained an exclusive relationship with Plugra butter for more than 10 years, making Plugra the only fat used in all recipes. The school teaches its students the benefits of formulating with butter, specifically premium European-style Plugra. When these pastry chefs enter the market, they continue to use Plugra, which has been very positive for the brand.

Franco Pacini, director of operations, and I posed with a dress being created out of Plugra wrappers for the school’s upcoming “For the Love of Chocolate Scholarship Foundation Annual Gala.” The dress will be modeled at the event, along with other fashion creations created by the pastry chefs.
For more information on the event, visit HERE.

If you are unfamiliar with Plugra, you can read more HERE.

According to Co-Founder and Academic Dean Chef Sebastien Canonne, the school has been unsuccessful with sourcing aseptically packaged premium cream (35% milkfat), as this product is not produced in the States and cannot be imported because of customs barriers. Aseptic premium cream is a product that pastry chefs around the world desire, as it can be shipped in bulk and stored at ambient temperature with a lengthy shelflife, as compared to fresh product that requires refrigeration and expires quickly. Further, the ultra-high-temperature (UHT) processing that the cream undergoes in order to be aseptically packaged contributes cooked notes to the cream that happen to be highly desirable in pastry applications.

Can anyone help? Please email me at donna@dailydoseofdairy.com.

For more information on The French Pastry School, visit HERE.

5) The Art of Dairy Contest

Safeway Inc.’s exclusive dairy brand, Lucerne, recently selected the nine student finalists competing for a $30,000 grand prize in the Eighth Annual Lucerne The Art of Dairy art contest. The finalists will now transfer their designs onto an unconventional canvas--a life-sized fiberglass cow.
Contest details and the finalists can be viewed HERE.

Beginning April 17, the public will vote for their favorite cow and crown a winning artist in the contest that joins nutrition with artistic talent and ingenuity. In addition, as part of the Teacher Incentive Program, all schools that sent in entries were entered into a second-chance drawing, and one lucky school will win $1,000 for its art department. The entries are being tabulated and the winning school will be announced mid-March.

Since the inception of the Art of Dairy contest in 2005, Lucerne has contributed over $373,000 to schools, teachers and students. This year, over 6,400 entries were received from schools across the country.

Dairy…it makes education better!

Ice Cream Innovations: The Big Chill

Source: Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt

Upon landing in Chicago after three days in Orlando for the Dairy Forum, I was greeted with a significant drop in temperature and snow flurries. But instead of a hot cup of tea, ice cream was on my mind. Why? Because this is the time of year many ice cream manufacturers start producing, and gradually rolling out, their new products for the upcoming summer. I’ve already started seeing some product announcements, and know that many more are on the horizon. Most will be featured as a Daily Dose of Dairy…so stay tuned. (And remember, you can always search the Archived Innovations tab at www.BerryOnDairy.com for a review of recently introduced frozen desserts. Check them out HERE.)

From the Forum

On the topic of innovation, here are some comments made by Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), during her keynote speech at Dairy Forum:

“…we as an industry also understand what the former editor of the Harvard Business Review Theodore Levitt meant when he observed, ‘Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.’

That’s what our great industry is all about . . . doing new things . . . matching creativity to innovation . . . and innovation to the tastes and needs of an ever-changing world . . . questioning long-held views . . . getting in front of change . . . setting the pace . . . maintaining our global competitiveness through innovation while the hesitant fall behind.”

Specifically on trends in ice cream innovations, she said:

“Concerns about sugar intake, especially added sugars, will also likely continue through 2013. Processors have already done a lot of work to lower levels of added sugar in flavored milk and to use non-caloric sweeteners in products like yogurt and ice cream. Some producers even use ultra-filtration to remove the natural sugars in milk. So, dairy foods with lower levels of sugar may become increasingly popular.”

(Check out Clemmy’s Sugar Free Ice Cream HERE.)

“When it comes to ice cream, there’s an explosion of flavors to match every taste bud across the globe. Check out some of these flavors that run the gamut from bakery-inspired nostalgia to the exotic, such as Carrot Cake Ice Cream and one I can’t wait to try: Pistachio Brittle-Bourbon Caramel Ice Cream.”

(These two flavors were winning concepts at IDFA’s Ice Cream Technology Conference in 2012. Read below about this year’s must-attend conference in March.)

“The New York Times also recently reported that one restaurant in San Francisco (Pizzeria Picco) is offering sophisticated toppings for the Straus Family Creamery’s soft-serve ice cream that include . . . get this . . . extra-virgin olive oil on vanilla. Even after all the years I’ve worked in the industry, I’m still surprised by dairy’s versatility. It’s a canvas on which you can create practically anything.”

 Source: Pizzeria Picco

“People will always love ice cream. But they’re also concerned about weight gain. So how do you achieve a proper balance? One solution is taking a page out of the weight-loss playbook--portion control. Wells Industries developed a snack-sized cone for its Champ! Brand. The smaller chocolate-coated sugar cone is filled with chocolate or vanilla ice cream topped with peanuts and contains 150 calories or fewer per serving.”

Packaging InnovationsSome innovations come in the form of packaging. For example, Ruggles Premium Ice Cream from Smith Dairy Products Co., can now be found in eye-catching new cartons that were designed to satisfy consumer preference. The company’s consumer research indicated that an easily identifiable flavor name makes the purchase decision easier. Consumers also want to see a description of what is in the carton.

Shape and size are important, too. Consumers said they liked a carton that would fit easily in freezer doors and could stack for convenient storage. They also asked for a lid that stayed tightly closed to keep the ice cream fresh. In the new design, Ruggles gives ice cream buyers what they want.

“We chose a design that is different from anything found in the ice cream freezers,” says Penny Baker, director of marketing for Ruggles. “Ice cream is a fun food, so our approach was to make the package design fun as well. Each package features a unique pattern and bright color scheme that ties in with the name of flavors printed in bold type on the front of the carton.”

Flavor descriptions and a photo of the actual ice cream appear on every package. Consumers can scan a Quick Response (QR) code on the back panel of the carton to find entertaining and fictional stories about each flavor, and can upload their own Ruggles ice cream stories, photos or videos about their favorite flavors to win prizes in the “What’s your Ruggles Story?” section of the website.

The new look carries through all Ruggles ice cream, frozen yogurt and non-sugar-added ice cream products, which are available in 1.5-quart containers with a suggested retail price of $5.59 to $5.99. New carton transition for all flavors will be finished this spring.

Foodservice Freezer-tainment
Talk about innovation, Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt is an ice cream shop company that has reinvented the ice cream experience with customized, flash-frozen ice cream that doesn’t require freezers. Sub Zero creates a new customer experience with its unique flash-freezing cryogenic process. Customers choose from one of eight bases, 40 flavors and 35 different mix-ins and then watch as their creation is flash-frozen in a cloud of nitrogen at -321 degrees F. All customers, even those with dietary restrictions or preferences, are able to design their own personalized ice cream from the base up.

Through Sub Zero’s cryogenic process, the milk molecules stay small and the water molecules don’t have time to become ice crystals, ultimately creating a smooth, creamy ice cream for the customer. Because Sub Zero stores don’t use freezers, they save 25% on costs, allowing them to focus their resources on making the customer experience even better.

Founder Jerry Hancock says, “We wanted to create a new kind of ice cream that combines science and deliciousness. It took more than two years of research to develop our unique freezing process, but all that hard work brought us the fulfillment that we believe redefines the way people look at America’s most popular dessert.”

The company was recently featured on ABC’s  Shark Tank--episode 414, which aired on Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. You can view the episode HERE.

Get Innovative

Looking for some creative ideas for your next big ice cream hit? Plan to attend IDFA’s popular Ice Cream Technology Conference, March 12 to 13 in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

I will actually kick off the two-day meeting with my presentation entitled: The Next Scoop: An Analysis of Consumer and Marketplace Trends for Tomorrow’s Big Hit. (You can get a sneak peak at some of the ice cream trends I will address by reading my Nov. 16, 2012 blog HERE.)

IDFA has added several new sessions to this year’s meeting, including the two-part “Chocolate Academy” and the “Mystery Basket” challenge. In the two-part Chocolate Academy, attendees will learn the fundamentals of chocolate and chocolate compounds with a focus on formulation and applications that inspire best practices and troubleshooting for ice cream and novelties. These sessions include a tasting of top food trends as they come to life in ice cream.

The Ice Cream Flavor Mystery Basket session will borrow a concept from the popular Food Network cooking show “Chopped.” Attendees will work in teams using the mystery baskets’ secret ingredients that represent the latest culinary trends identified by three flavor supplier creators: Kerry Ingredients, Star Kay White and Sensient Flavors.

“The ice cream technologists who attend this conference are some of the most creative, innovative people in the food industry, so we work hard to keep the conference program fresh and cutting edge,” says Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs and host of the Ice Cream Technology Conference.

Hope to see you there!

Cottage Cheese: The Comeback Kid

Better late than never: Happy New Year! (Sorry for the extra-long holiday break due to technical difficulties and family illnesses.)


The Daily Dose of Dairy is back…and promises to be better than ever in 2013.

You will continue to receive the latest information on new dairy foods, ingredients and technologies, and consumer trends...all delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday, in an easy-to-read format that invites you—with a simple click—to get more details. The slightly tweaked format delivers a cleaner read, and provides room for sponsorships, trade show promotions, and links to informative articles—all designed to help dairy industry members promote the fabulous products that we are passionate about.


With that said, let’s talk about cottage cheese. If you’ve been a subscriber of the Daily Dose of Dairy since it commenced in the spring of 2012, you likely read a number of my blogs talking about the rapidly increasing popularity of dairy proteins, and the opportunities this presents to revitalize the category of cottage cheese. (If you missed the articles, I encourage you to click HERE to see some recent innovations in cottage cheese, as well as scroll through blog topics HERE.)

During the Daily Dose of Dairy’s month hiatus, I managed to catch up on a lot of journal reading—mostly business. But I do believe it is equally important to be in touch with what consumers are reading. And gosh, they’ve been reading some powerful messages about cottage cheese.

On my return flight from the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, the January/February 2013 issue of Health was in my reading stack. (By the way, I have lots of great innovations to share with you from the show!) On page 34, the author cites Low-Fat Cottage Cheese 1% Milkfat as the number-one flashback food for the year.

She writes, “millennials—who were born in the 1980s and ‘90s and thus were not even alive when these [retro] foods dominated the diet world in the ‘60s and ‘70s—are driving this movement back to the basics. “They yearn for authenticity and are distrustful of gimmicks,” says Phil Lempert, food trend expert. So retro foods—which are often minimally processed, easy to eat, and so low in calories and fat they’re almost guaranteed to work—appeal to them, Lempert adds.

And cottage cheese is number-one! I predicted cottage cheese’s comeback in this blog spot.
(You can read the Health article HERE.)

Here’s another reason why I believe in cottage cheese’s comeback. After four days of nursing my 10-year old back to health (104F fever, strep throat, etc.), I kissed him goodbye at the school drop off and pulled away before his door was fully closed. I treated myself out to breakfast. In the adjoining booth at Wishbone on Lincoln—a fabulous breakfast place in Chicago—two women were discussing their healthy eating habits. Yes, I was eavesdropping. (Honestly, I was craving adult conversation after having been holed up with my sick son for so many days, but I refrained from joining in their coffee talk, as I did not want to bias their opinions.)

Protein was the focal point, with one woman saying how she is growing tired of Greek yogurt and is now eating more…yes, you guessed right…cottage cheese! (This was music to my ears and justification for expensing this breakfast as a business meal.)

Her curious friend asked how she was eating all this cottage cheese. I was very impressed by her examples, which included plain, topped with fruit and nuts, sometimes in a bowl other times atop a cracker or flat bread, mixed with diced veggies and used as a sandwich spread, and even a scoop over a bowl of pasta.

Here’s another reason why I believe cottage cheese is making a comeback. The December 2012 issue of Today’s Dietitian included a full-page ad from Daisy brand cottage cheese, along with a full-page advertorial encouraging dietitians to tell their patients and clients about the high-protein content found in cottage cheese. Recipes were provided.

I was curious to know if there has been any upturn in cottage cheese sales, so I contacted SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm. According to their total U.S. multi-outlet data (supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains), cottage cheese sales reached almost $1.1 billion in 2012, but were down 1.6% from 2011.

Let’s turn this around for 2013! Promote the protein in your cottage cheese. Provide consumers recipes and serving suggestions. Make your cottage cheese more convenient with single-serve containers. Make it more flavorful with toppings, and more versatile with varied toppings--ranging from sweet fruits to savory seasonings to salty nuts. How about including some upgraded packaging such as glass jars and clear plastic parfaits? Heck, maybe go metallic.

And when you roll out your innovation, please be sure to let me know about it. 

Hope to see many of you at Dairy Forum starting on Sunday. Watch what you say at breakfast, it might show up in my blog next week!