Members of the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF) and IDFA staff made a follow-up visit last week to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to meet with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to discuss ongoing concerns about declining milk consumption in America and its impact on nutrition. The members continued a conversation they began with the secretary in July 2014 and provided updates about current consumption trends, which show Americans, especially children, are falling short of federal milk intake guidelines.

The three members were Gregg Tanner, CEO of Dean Foods Company and MIF chair; Jay Bryant, CEO of the Maryland and Virginia Producers Cooperative Association, Inc. and MIF vice chair; and Ed Mullins, executive vice president and CEO of Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., and a member of the MIF advisory committee. They were joined by Dave Carlin, IDFA senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy; and Ruth Saunders, IDFA vice president of policy and legislative affairs.

During the meeting, the members also reviewed the new five-year partnership between the Milk Processor Education Program and the U.S. Olympic Committee to promote fluid milk. As an official sponsor, MilkPEP and its Milk Life campaign will support the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams through the Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The members invited USDA to join in the promotion, especially for the upcoming games in Rio, and discussed possible engagement opportunities.

For more information, contact Carlin at dcarlin@idfa.org.