U.S. and Canada Host 2005 IDF World Dairy Summit

As part of the team hosting this year's summit, IDFA regulatory staff members Cary Frye and Allen Sayler were instrumental in working with the U.S. and Canadian organizing committee to ensure the success of the meeting. Frye served as co-program chair, and Sayler worked with U.S. dairy processors to collect dairy products for the program's Dairy Bar.

At the summit, IDFA President and CEO Connie Tipton presented IDFA's views on why liberalizing agricultural trade through support of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Round is an important goal for the U.S. dairy industry. In other sessions, IDFA Senior Manager of Marketing Victor Zaborsky discussed U.S. dairy marketing strategies, and Sayler gave an overview of regulations around the world on the use and reuse of water in dairy plants. Several IDFA member companies attended the conference in order to promote the interests of the U.S. dairy foods industry and to participate in various panel discussions.

"The program sessions were designed to challenge dairy executives to think about the future of the industry by examining topics such as global trade and marketing; dairy science and technology; nutrition; and dairy farming," said Frye. "I believe that we achieved this goal and that all participants will bring to their home countries some innovative ideas about how to continue to build a dynamic dairy industry."

With "Partnership" as the theme in Vancouver, IDF President Jim Begg was pleased to announce the new IDF memberships of Armenia and seven African countries (jointly under one membership): Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. These countries bring the total membership of IDF to 49 and solidify IDF as a global authority on dairy issues.

Prior to the summit, IDF National Committee Secretaries, IDF Standing Committees, working bodies and task forces met to advance important work on dairy issues. Sayler serves as chair of the IDF Standing Committee on Food Additives, and Frye is the chair of the IDF Standing Committee on Food Labeling. Some of the more significant activities discussed at these meetings included:

• Assembling lists of food additives for yogurt, other fermented milk products, creams, blended or filled milk products and a wide variety of cheeses.
• Strategizing on changing the Codex draft recommendation on the protein conversion factor for milk versus soy.
• Refining IDF strategies on country of origin labeling, nutritional and health claims, quantitive ingredient declaration (QUID), a definition for dietary fiber and labeling provisions of the many draft standards for cheese.
• Furthering language for the draft Codex standard for processed cheese and other draft Codex individual cheese standards.
• Developing a database of product tracing systems in IDF member countries.
• Finalizing language for a Codex draft export certificate intended to be used by all countries.
• Discussing many hygienic issues, including validation of control measures, principles on microbiological risk management, guidelines for control of listeria, and World Health Organization/Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (WHO/FAO) expert consultation on the use of chlorine in dairy operations.

Posted October 3, 2005