Focusing on science, technology and inspiration, IDFA’s Milk and Cultured Dairy Products Conference will explore ingredients, processing technology, packaging and consumer issues that affect the sales and marketing of milk and cultured products, whether they’re already on the market, in the development pipeline or yet to be developed. The conference with be held May 19-20 in Minneapolis.

Steve Jones, CEO of Fairlife and former executive of The Coca-Cola Company, will kick off the conference with a discussion of his company’s new reduced-fat, ultra-filtered milk, which aims to reverse the ongoing decline in milk consumption. His presentation, “New Frontiers in the Dairy Case,” will cover innovation, technology and meeting consumer expectations.

Other featured sessions and speakers include:

  • “Strategies for Controlling Biofilms in the Dairy Environment.” Tony Erickson, a scientist with Ecolab, Inc., will address the problems that residual biofilm in processing equipment can cause. He’ll also discuss how to protect starter cultures from residual sanitizer and potential phage control methods.
  • “Stevia in Dairy Products: Challenges and Opportunities.” Wade Schmelzer, principle food scientist with Cargill Food Applications N.A., will review opportunities and challenges in formulating with stevia, a naturally occurring sweetener that can be up to 400 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia is safely consumed by diabetics and those who wish to avoid calories.
  • “Loyalty & Skepticism: Maintaining Consumer Trust in Today's Complex Food World.” Sean McBride, founder of DSM Strategic Communications, will give an overview of what consumers want and how companies and their brands can overcome consumer skepticism and earn their loyalty.

The full agenda is available here.

“Whether you are an executive, a member of the research and development team, a quality assurance professional or a plant manager, our information-packed agenda has something for everyone working in the milk and cultured dairy products world,” said John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory and international standards. “And the Most Innovative Milk or Dairy Beverage and Cultured Dairy Product Competition is sure to bring out the best of the industry’s innovations.”

All conference attendees are invited to enter the competition here. The deadline for submissions is May 11.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship opportunities are still available.  As a sponsor, companies will receive recognition in conference materials and on the conference website, recognition at the event and the opportunity to place promotional materials at the registration desk. The remaining opportunities are:

  • Most Innovative Products Competition
  • Onsite program
  • Registration lanyards
  • Refreshment breaks
  • Reception
  • Breakfasts
  • Luncheons
  • Tabletop exhibits

More information about sponsorships is available here.

Registration information is available here, and hotel and travel details are available here.

For more information, contact Erin Dlugacz, manager of meetings and educational services, at edlugacz@idfa.org or 202-220-3512.