Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs, was elected chairman of the U.S. National Committee of the International Dairy Federation during the group’s spring meeting last week. Shawna Morris of the National Milk Producers Federation was elected vice chair, and Matt Mathison of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board was re-elected for another term as treasurer.

Frye replaced Rob Byrne of Schreiber Foods Company who led US-IDF for the past four years. She also serves as a member of the IDF board and is the only representative from North America.

“I am excited to undertake this new role at US-IDF, especially while the parent organization of IDF is refreshing the strategic plan under the new leadership of President Jeremy Hill,” Frye said. “IDF aims to align with the global dairy sector’s priorities of nutrition, sustainability, food safety and standards, and to be the global voice of dairy to intergovernmental organizations and stakeholders.”

Frye said she is grateful for the strong foundation that the past US-IDF officers have provided and for the commitment of U.S. members to IDF work over the years.

Role of National Committees

IDF’s membership is made up of National Committees that work together to serve as the scientific expertise for the dairy sector worldwide. They frequently consult with other global organizations, such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). IDF’s current membership includes 45 countries representing the majority of the world’s current milk production.

A total of 18 standing committees within IDF focuses on multiple sectors of the dairy industry, including nutrition and health, dairy food standards, product safety and hygiene, analytical methods, animal health and farm management, dairy technology, dairy economics and marketing, standards of identity and sustainability. At the U.S.-IDF level, members work together to provide the U.S. perspective for each of these areas to protect and enhance the U.S. dairy industry. A list of members is available here.

"Our leadership in the US-IDF National Committee and participation in IDF Standing Committees helps IDFA members to access other dairy markets around the world," said Frye. "These committees play an important role in facilitating international trade in dairy."

For more information, contact Frye at cfrye@idfa.org.