03/06/08 Innovation helps drive dairy sales

Prototypes of low fat cheddar, antioxidant heart-healthy cheesecake, energy boosting drinks using whey proteins and yogurt with ingredients to energize your mind, these were just a few of the new products 150 food and beverage manufacturers shared at the recently completed Dairy Innovation Forum. The chairman of Dairy Management Inc Paul Rovey of Arizona says the forum could spark the next wave of product and ingredient innovation. ROVEY "I think it's the opportune time for us to continue to look for innovation, look for ways that we can use our products. Without innovation, we don't continue the sales." The dairy marketplace is changing dramatically and DMI's Greg Miller says much of that change is the result of dairy checkoff funded research. MILLER "We have people thinking out of the box in terms of new opportunities to put new ingredients into dairy products, to bring new demand. There's a lot of unmet demand out there. There are products that consumers want that the industry isn't delivering." For dairy foods that offer added health benefits to new milk based beverage choices Miller says the checkoff is leading innovation by helping the industry with nutrition, product and ingredient research along with technical support to build sales. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott