On The Cover:
What Can’t Milk Do?
As the daughter of dairy farmers, the wife of a dairy farmer, and a DFO dairy educator in Perth, ON, she tells children milk delivers a complete package of vitamins and nutrients.
“The bottom line is, a glass of milk has 15 essential nutrients. It has complete proteins and vitamin D to help absorb the calcium,” says Danen, a former registered dental hygienist. “You can get your nutrients from other means, but it’s such an easy way for kids to get the nutrients they need.”
More from this issue
Your Dollars at Work - Influencing the Nutrition Influencers
Ask anyone in the dairy industry, and they’ll all say the same thing: milk and dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet. But for some time now, it has become harder to tell the story of milk’s nutritional benefits to consumers across all age groups. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic drew people back to dairy, our research found that health-minded consumers want credible, third-party voices to support their decision-making. More and more, people are turning to healthcare professionals (HCPs) for advice and guidance to cut through a noisy and confusing narrative about healthy eating.
Your Dollars at Work - Elementary School Milk Program
Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s (DFO) Elementary School Milk Program is a world leader.
Both the overall Elementary School Milk Program and the Breakfast Rebate program have achieved such success, DFO was invited to create case studies and share them on the International Dairy Federation (IDF) Knowledge Hub website in February 2021 as part of its new site launch.
Your Dollars at Work - What Can't Milk Do
A recent DFO marketing campaign aimed to help consumers realize milk has much more nutritional value than they might think. By highlighting individual nutrients in milk and their benefits in a fun, relatable way, the campaign inspired Ontarians to ask themselves “What Can’t Milk Do?”
In 2019, DFO launched its popular “What Can’t Milk Do?” campaign platform to reposition milk as contemporary and relevant for today’s consumer, highlighting milk’s limitless possibilities and endless benefits by challenging old perceptions.
Your Dollars at Work - Big Moo'd Market
Research says Gen Zs use social media to inform their dietary decisions and that they are averse to dairy.
It also says they love visiting local pop-ups, and value unique, memorable, post-worthy experiences so our marketing team developed a strategy to target them right there.
Since MilkUp’s viral “Pick-Me-Ups” pop-up last Fall and digital Month of Pick-Me-UPs initiative in the Winter, the moo’d has changed and Gen Zs are happy to post about and consume dairy. A once-skeptical community is now a highly engaged, loyal fan base of MilkUP ambassadors, proudly sharing content with friends, commenting on brand posts, sporting our merch — and even, admittedly, consuming more dairy milk.
Milk Myth-Busters
The majority of people with lactose intolerance can continue to enjoy milk and milk products every day without experiencing the digestive discomfort associated with this condition. That is because most people with lactose intolerance can still digest a certain amount of lactose. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States specifically recommends that people with lactose intolerance not avoid milk and milk products because almost everyone can tolerate a certain amount, and those who do avoid milk products are at risk of developing a calcium or vitamin D deficiency.
The Rise of Premium Milk
Even tried-and-true favourites like cheese, ice cream and milk have to reinvent themselves from time to time to ensure consumption rates both stay strong and grow.
While the wide-ranging health benefits of milk are ubiquitous, new and innovative milk products have emerged in recent years to address specific consumer trends.
Dairy Science
The world’s population is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050. World hunger has been on the rise since 2015 and an estimated 821 million people around the globe suffer from hunger. At the same time, obesity continues to increase in all regions of the world. Providing a growing world population with safe, sustainable, and nutritious food is a huge challenge and dairy is part of the solution.
Milk: Beware of Imitations
Global health organizations recognize milk and dairy products as some of the top nutrition powerhouses of the food world.
Every glass of milk, chunk of cheese and pot of yoghurt consumed is bursting with nutrients that are proven to be essential for the development and maintenance of the human body.