IDFA Applauds USDA Investment in Organic Dairy Promotion

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) this week announced the launch of the Organic Dairy Product Promotion (ODPP) program, allocating $15 million to expand access to organic dairy products in educational institutions and youth programs. Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) issued the following statement:

“IDFA applauds USDA on this new effort to increase consumption of organic dairy products among children and young adults. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans highlights that between 68% and 76.2% of school-age males and between 77.4% and 94.3% of school-age females are not consuming enough dairy. Programs like the ODPP will work to improve access to nutritious dairy products for children and young Americans while building partnerships between dairy businesses and school districts. We encourage USDA to continue to focus on creative ways to increase consumption of nutritious dairy foods including conventional, organic, lactose-free, and value-added dairy, especially among communities that historically under consume nutritious dairy.”

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.2 million jobs that generate $49 billion in direct wages and $794 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent most of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.