June 23, 2008

June 2008

DAIRY CHECKOFF UPDATE  

A periodic report for dairy media demonstrating how Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) and affiliated state and regional promotion organizations work to increase demand for and sales of U.S.-produced dairy products and ingredients through the programs of the American Dairy Association®, National Dairy Council® and U.S. Dairy Export Council®. For more information about these and other dairy checkoff programs, please contact Jennifer Wing at (847) 627-3225 or jenniferw@rosedmi.com.

National Dairy Council® Joins USDA in ‘Partnering with MyPyramid’  

Dairy producers, through the National Dairy Council® (NDC), the nutrition research and education arm of the dairy checkoff, are partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help Americans transform their eating habits and make healthier lifestyle choices. The partnership is part of a new program, “Partnering with MyPyramid: Corporate Challenge to Step Up and End Childhood Obesity.”  

The USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion created the MyPyramid Food Guidance System to educate consumers about the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that recommend choosing a nutrient-rich diet, including three daily servings of low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and increasing physical activity. Now, the USDA has asked organizations, such as NDC, to officially join in education and communication efforts promoting these messages throughout the country.  

“The ‘Partnering with MyPyramid’ program is a natural extension of NDC’s work as a national leader in nutrition research and education since 1915,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, R.D., senior vice president of nutrition affairs for NDC. “This partnership is a natural fit with our ongoing work to educate consumers on how to make healthier food and lifestyle choices, including the need to consume three servings of low-fat and fat-free dairy a day, to help reverse the obesity epidemic.”  

NDC provided nutrition research to the USDA during the development of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, which increased the recommended servings of dairy to three servings a day (compared to two to three servings in the 2000 guidelines). This would not have happened without dairy producers’ investment in the development of sound science to support the recommendation.  

Currently, NDC provides nutrition education and communication programs to dietitians, physicians, other health professionals, educators, and the public.  Through this new partnership, NDC will use educational materials in support of USDA’s Women Infants and Children (WIC) special supplemental food program to educate WIC moms on how to meet their families’ needs for three daily servings of dairy through the WIC food

package. These materials also will inform them that low-fat and fat-free milk is as nutritious as other varieties, and help them transition to lower-fat milk options approved in the WIC package. NDC also will pursue opportunities to educate the public through the 3-A-Day™ of Dairy program, various classroom initiatives, and health professional tools and resources.  

“This partnership represents another example of the long-term value dairy producers receive for their checkoff investment,” said Paul Rovey, Arizona dairy producer and chairman of Dairy Management Inc.™, which manages the national dairy producer checkoff program. “Partnering with groups such as USDA gives the public even more reasons to consume dairy products and help build sales.”  

For more information about dairy checkoff-funded programs, visit www.dairycheckoff.com.

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