FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marti Hogan
(202) 220-3535
mhogan@idfa.org
By Michael Dykes, D.V.M., President and CEO of IDFA
(Washington, D.C. – January 19, 2017) The International Dairy Foods Association released the following statement by Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO, on the decision by President-elect Donald Trump to name former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as the Secretary of Agriculture.
“IDFA and our dairy foods company members look forward to working closely with Sonny Perdue in his new role as Secretary of Agriculture. While leading the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretary Perdue will oversee many areas that are extremely important to the dairy industry, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the school breakfast and lunch programs, and, most recently, the national disclosure standard for foods made with genetically modified ingredients.
“IDFA looks forward to meeting with the Secretary and continuing our conversations with USDA on these and other topics.
“As a fellow veterinarian, I’m confident that Secretary Perdue will bring the necessary knowledge and insight to keep American agriculture, food production and nutrition programs strong and vibrant.”
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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 within 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 nearly 200 dairy processing members run nearly 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, ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found online at www.idfa.org.