Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy booth to offer interactive focus on sustainability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — October 7, 2009

Rosemont, Ill. — Join the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

at Worldwide Food Expo in Chicago, Oct. 28-31, 2009, as it unveils Dairy 2020, an interactive booth offering processors, manufacturers, suppliers and others in the dairy industry information on cutting costs, growing revenues and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Dairy 2020 will showcase the U.S. Dairy Industry Sustainability Commitment in action, which aims to reduce GHG emissions for fluid milk by 25 percent by 2020.

“Attendees will have the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of sustainability success stories from industry leaders, and to learn about some of the projects the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy is spearheading,” said Thomas P. Gallagher, chief executive officer of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program on behalf of the nation’s dairy farmers. “These projects can deliver economic benefits to producers, processors and manufacturers while also helping the industry achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals.”

Dairy 2020, located at Booth S4943 in the Worldwide Food Expo Sustainability Pavilion, will promote dairy processors’ small- and large-scale sustainability stories now being planned or implemented. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to record their stories inside the Dairy 2020 booth during the show. All stories will be featured on the Dairy 2020 Web site, dairy2020.usdairy.com, and available for viewing at the expo. The top 13 sustainability story entries will receive an award.

Several members of the Sustainability Council, the group helping to manage the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment, including Oakhurst Dairy, Portland, Maine; HP Hood LLC, Lynnfield, Mass.; GRUPO LALA, La Laguna, Mexico; and The Dannon Company, White Plains, N.Y., are among the many companies that have already added their sustainability stories.

Industry leaders and innovators will be on hand at the Dairy 2020 booth for one-on-one discussions about best practices, case studies and sustainability resources. Visitors can view five kiosks that detail GHG reduction projects focusing on dairy processing, including energy efficiency on the plant floor; reduced fuel consumption in transportation; advancements in clean-in-place technology; non-thermal pasteurization; and emerging packaging or “delivery systems” for milk products.

The neighboring Community Space will be a place for attendees to learn from sustainability experts, discuss ideas and share stories about the potential of the sustainability movement and the future of the food industry. 

“Tapping into the ingenuity of our entire industry will help guarantee dairy’s future ability to produce highly nutritious and sustainable products in a way that is environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable,” Gallagher said.

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy is sponsoring the Sustainability Pavilion at Worldwide Food Expo, and is speaking on a range of other business-critical topics, including: Is Your Company Crisis Ready?; Dairy Products: Health and Wellness in a Package; Transform Your Marketing, Empower Your Brand; International Dairy Market; and Dairy Department Reinvention: Path to Growth and Differentiation. Log on to USDairy.com or Worldwidefood.com for more information.

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Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy provides a forum for the dairy industry to work pre-competitively to address barriers to and opportunities for innovation and sales growth. The Innovation Center aligns the collective resources of the industry to offer consumers nutritious dairy products and ingredients, and promote the health of people, communities, the planet and the industry. The Board of Directors for the Innovation Center represents leaders of more than 30 key U.S. producer organizations, dairy cooperatives, processors, manufacturers and brands. The Innovation Center is supported and staffed by Dairy Management Inc.^™ For more information, contact innovationcenter@usdairy.com or visit USDairy.com.

Download the  news release.