Contact:        
Robin Cornelison
Director, Trade Show
rcornelison@idfa.org
(202) 220-3542

(Washington, D.C. – September 18, 2013) The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced today that three nationally respected experts on consumer demands in the dairy marketplace will be featured at the International Dairy Show, which will take place November 3-6, 2013, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

With topics ranging from the popularity of Greek yogurt to activist claims that dairy is addictive, these sessions will explore the latest in consumer trends, attitudes and research. Speakers include Todd R. Hale, senior vice president, consumer and shopper insights for Nielsen; Rick Berman, executive director of the Center for Consumer Freedom and president of the Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm Berman and Company; and Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst and vice president of the NPD Group, an international market research company.

“We are delighted these renowned speakers will anchor our robust consumer trends track at the International Dairy Show,” said Robin Cornelison, IDFA trade show director. “It is our goal with the educational program to bring together the top experts in all aspects of the dairy industry to create the most important dairy foods and beverages event of the year.”

The sessions offered by these featured speakers will be:

It's a Greek Yogurt World
Tuesday, November 5, 11:00 a.m.
Todd R. Hale, Senior Vice President, Nielsen
Greek yogurt represents more than $2 billion of the $6 billion U.S. yogurt market, and sales of the Greek style yogurt increased 53 percent for the year ending in early February, according to a New York Times article that quoted several marketing analysts, including Todd Hale, head of consumers and shoppers insight with Nielsen, a global research company. Hale will review the U.S. yogurt boom and answer the question “Is the Greek yogurt trend here to stay?”

From Cheese to "Dairy Crack": Inside the Campaign to Label Food as "Addictive"
Monday, November 4, 11:00 a.m.
Rick Berman, Executive Director of the Center for Consumer Freedom and President of Berman and Company¸ a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm
"Is cheddar cheese addictive?" asks Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), an anti-meat, anti-dairy group. According to Barnard and a growing chorus of anti-industry colleagues, cheese is little more than "morphine on a cracker," or more bluntly, "dairy crack." Groups like PCRM and Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity have turned to the "tobacco/alcohol playbook” where kids are victims and hidden dangers justify bold warnings, regulating availability and higher taxes to depress sales. Berman, a long-time consumer advocate who champions individual responsibility and common sense policy, will take us inside the obesity wars to examine a new addiction line of attack against the food industry.  

Food Trends with Harry Balzer
Tuesday, November 5, 10:00 a.m.
Harry Balzer, Chief Industry Analyst and Vice President of the NPD Group
Harry Balzer has been following the eating and drinking patterns of Americans for 35 years. He is the author of The NPD Group’s Annual Report on Eating Patterns in America, which is used by food industry leaders to make smarter business decisions and gain fact-based insight. Balzer is widely known within the industry as a main source for unbiased market information. He conducts more than 30 ongoing food-related consumer research studies, including which foods are gaining or decreasing in popularity for each meal and what are people’s attitudes about health and nutrition.

The International Dairy Show, co-located with Food Processing Suppliers Association’s PROCESS EXPO, brings together 800 exhibitors, 300,000 square feet of exhibit space and 15,000 industry professionals for even bigger, better and broader business opportunities. The Dairy Show will feature the newest innovations in technology, packaging, ingredients and services for the dairy foods industry. Educational sessions will offer solutions that span the entire manufacturing process, and attendees will have the opportunity to visit exhibits displaying everything dairy companies need to run more efficiently, create new products and improve profitability.

For information regarding the International Dairy Show and view the full details of the educational program, visit www.dairyshow.com. To reserve exhibit booth space, contact International Dairy Show Sales Executive Katherine Madison at exhibit@dairyshow.com. 

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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $125-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% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States.