Contacts:
Peggy Armstrong, IDFA, 202-220-3508
Elizabeth Hockerman, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, 262-938-5565

(Washington, D.C. - May 5, 2011) The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy^TM will kick off the IDFA Dairy Sustainability Symposium on Wednesday, May 25, with an update on the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment and progress made on key initiatives to reduce the dairy industry's carbon footprint and build business value.

The Dairy Sustainability Symposium is designed to help members of the dairy industry and related businesses to better understand sustainability and to target ways to decrease carbon footprint and increase efficiency. It will be held May 25-26 at The James Hotel in Chicago.

The Innovation Center's presentation will highlight the industry's scientific research efforts, including life cycle assessments for fluid milk and cheese and how these findings will benefit the entire dairy industry. Speakers from the Innovation Center include Ying Wang, Ph.D., director of research, and Gail Barnes, Ph.D., vice president of technology and packaging. Dr. Barnes will be joined by industry experts who will discuss energy efficiency best practices.

"While sustainable practices have long been a part of our industry, this commitment is producing model programs and processes for the whole industry," said Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs. "During the symposium, we will be able to examine how far we've come and where we want to go moving forward. "

The discussion also will introduce a new sustainability initiative that responds to the growing interest and activity in sustainability reporting and product score carding. Sandra Vijn, director of sustainability metrics and evaluation for the Innovation Center, will present on the trend, as well as the dairy industry's progress in this increasingly important field.

"Sustainability reporting is gaining traction as a method to measure, describe and respond to questions from brands, investors and retailers," Vijn said. "The U.S. dairy industry is working together to develop a framework for consistent measuring and reporting, and to promote supply chain innovations, continuous improvement and increased transparency in line with the U.S. dairy vision and guiding principles."

For more information or to register for the Dairy Sustainability Symposium, visit {wwwroot}events--trade-show/interactive-event-calendar/details/97/.

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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, DC, represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $110-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States.

Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy provides a forum for the dairy industry to work together pre-competitively to address barriers and opportunities to foster innovation and increase sales. 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 includes 32 leaders representing 30 key U.S. producer organizations, dairy cooperatives, processors, manufacturers and brands. The Innovation Center is staffed by Dairy Management Inc^TM. Visit www.USDairy.com for more information about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.