The partnership combines Superbrewed’s biomass protein platform with Fonterra’s dairy processing, ingredients, and applications expertise to develop additional nutrient-rich, functional biomass protein. The collaboration addresses the rising global demand for protein, reflecting both companies’ commitment to delivering sustainably sourced, functional proteins that meet customer and consumer needs worldwide.

The collaboration builds upon Superbrewed’s commercial launch of its patented biomass protein, called Postbiotic Cultured Protein. Postbiotic Cultured Protein is a non-GMO, allergen-free, nutrient-dense bacteria biomass protein that recently received US market green light from the FDA. In ingredient evaluations, Fonterra determined that the function and nutrition of Postbiotic Cultured Protein complement dairy ingredients in food applications with growing consumer demand.

As Superbrewed demonstrated that its non-GMO, fermentation platform could be adapted to ferment other inputs, the multi-year joint effort seeks to develop new biomass protein solutions based on the fermentation of multi-feedstocks, including Fonterra’s lactose permeate, which is produced during dairy processing. The objective is to add value to Fonterra’s lactose by converting it into high-quality, sustainable protein with Superbrewed’s technology.

Bryan Tracy, CEO of Superbrewed Food, stated: “We are excited to be partnering with a company of Fonterra’s stature, as it recognises the value in bringing Postbiotic Cultured Protein to market, and is a pivotal step towards expanding our offerings of biomass ingredients that further contribute to sustainable food production.”

Chris Ireland, GM innovation partnerships commented: “Partnering with Superbrewed Foods is a fantastic opportunity. Their cutting-edge technology aligns with our mission to provide sustainable nutritional solutions to the world and respond to the global demand for protein solutions thereby creating more value from milk for our farmers.”

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Following a rigorous testing period, the group has purchased its first UV-based Raslysation system to replace its existing, labour-intensive filtration processes.

Novozymes’ investment in Lyras’ Raslysation technology will help the group reduce energy consumption, bolstering its sustainable strategies, while providing a safe working environment for employees and improving control of unwanted microbial activity during the filtration process.

Steen Skaebaek, senior director at Novozymes said: “As many enzymes cannot withstand high temperatures, our legacy equipment was primarily made up of classic depth-filtration to remove the bioburden in our products. However, this meant our employees replaced heavy sets of filter plates daily as part of the purification process.

“Raslysation removes the need for this process, while helping us take more control of how we create our product. We’re also expecting to see a difference in our next energy bill. Raslysation fits into our green strategy in every way. It’s likely that, with time, the next step will be to install more of Lyras’ UV technology at several of our global sites that produce high-value enzymes and proteins for the food industry.”

Nete Zarp Nielson, CTO at Lyras added: “You have to give large, respected companies like Novozymes props for leading by example and integrating new and green technologies. Novozymes has been a fantastic partner in the process of testing and designing the optimal solution. We are proud that together, we have created the basis for a system that a company with Novozymes’ high level of research would want to invest in and use globally in future.”

Raslysation is a non-thermal treatment that uses UV light at a specific wavelength to pasteurise opaque liquid food and non-food products, including dairy, juice and enzymes. The liquid is directed past the light source in a controlled movement so that everything is illuminated to inactivate bacteria and other microorganisms.

Founded in 2017, Lyras was built on three years of research into sustainable pasteurisation processes and the development of its Raslysation technology alongside public health experts, academics and figures in the dairy and juice industries.

Lyras’ technology has already been sold to companies in the US, Australia, Spain, Sweden and Denmark that operate within the dairy, juice and industrial fermentation industries. In the spring, the method was chosen to secure one of the world’s most expensive dairy products, namely the protein lactoferrin, which is used, among other things, in infant formula. Its team of 68 is based in North Jutland, Denmark and recently won the EY Future Impact Award 2021.

For more information about Lyras, please visit lyras.com.

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The World Champion Cheese rose to the top of the record-breaking 4,434 entries in this year’s World Cheese Awards, where the best cheeses from around the globe went head-to-head at the world’s largest cheese-only event. The cheeses were scored on aspects such as the appearance of the rind and paste, as well as the cheese’s aroma, body, and texture, with the majority of points awarded for flavour and mouthfeel.

Dennis Kaser, international marketing manager of Le Gruyère AOP comments on the success: “this is a result that shows the quality behind all these people working together; 1900 milk producers, 155 cheesemakers and 11 refiners. This collaborative work results in such a high-quality cheese style, which is loved by the consumer. I’m so very proud to be representing Le Gruyère. Huge congratulations to cheesemaker Vorderfultigen and affineur Gourmino.”

This Le Gruyère AOP surchoix is a matured cheese made from raw cow’s milk which is full-bodied with a slightly crumbly texture.  It was described as a “really perfect handcrafted cheese, smooth in your mouth and melting on your tongue” by the Super Jury member Christian Zuercher from Mifroma. The tense finale unfolded with Gorgonzola Dolce DOP, made by De’ Magi from Italy, coming in second place.

The 4,434 international cheeses were sent to Wales by boat, truck, train, and plane via 19 consolidation points around the world, removing barriers to entry for many artisan cheese producers. Each were closely examined by the panel of judges, featuring cheesemakers, cheesemongers, buyers, chefs, retailers, and writers, to deem if they were worthy of a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Super Gold award.

The crowds watched on as some of the finest palates in the global cheese community debated the best of the best. Through the judging process, 4,434 became 98 Super Golds and then 16 finalists. These cheeses went on to be re-judged by the International Super Jury, which included Cathy Strange from Whole Foods Market (USA), Patricia Michelson from La Fromagerie (UK), Denis Priimagi from Cheese Kingdom (Ukraine) and Davide Fiori from Luigi Guffanti 1876 (Italy), who put forward their preferred cheeses live on World Cheese TV, which was streamed globally, before crowning this year’s World Champion Cheese.

The top 16 includes:

1. Le Gruyère AOP surchoix, by cheesemaker Vorderfultigen and affineur Gourmino
2. Gorgonzola Dolce DOP from De’ Magi
3. Grosse Tomme de Bufflonne Cave Jacobine from Prolactine France
4. Âlde Fryske from De Fryske
5. Tomme de chèvre Cave Jacobine from Prolactine France
6. PATA DE MULO CURADO LOS PAYUELOS from Quesería Artesanal Los Payuelos
7. Greensward from Murray’s Cheese
8. Devon Blue from Ticklemore Cheese
9. Spenwood from Village Maid Cheese
10. Grosse Tomme de chèvre Cave Rousseau from Prolactine France
11. Sinodun Hill from Norton and Yarrow Cheese
12. Gorwydd Caerphilly from Trethowan’s Dairy Ltd
13. Großer Deichkäse 12 Monate from Rohmilchkäserei Backensholz GmbH & Co. KG
14. MA-TRU’ Pecorino Amatriciano from F.LLI PETRUCCI SRL
15. L’Ambra di Talamello from Rocca Toscana Formaggi S.R.L.
16. Gentenaer from Little Cheese Farm

Lesley Griffiths, Rural Affairs Minister of the Welsh Government, principal global partner of the World Cheese Awards, says: “I am proud Wales has hosted the world’s biggest cheese awards. This really is the ‘World Cup of Cheese’ and a celebration of excellence in cheese making from around the globe. In addition to the exceptional cheesemakers, we have welcomed 250 experts from 38 different countries to judge and a Super Jury of 16 judges to select the coveted World Champion Cheese. It has also been great to see the strong Welsh presence at the awards who have been able to showcase their high-quality products. A huge congratulations to all of the winners and everyone competing this year.”

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of the World Cheese Awards, comments: “What a finale. This year’s World Cheese Awards has been a huge success and Wales has been the perfect canvas for this colourful event. We’ve seen more entries than ever before and it’s great to see such a range of styles and regions represented. To crown Le Gruyère AOP surchoix as this year’s World Champion Cheese is so well deserved. The judges in the room today, our cheese experts from all over the world, were clearly blown away by the quality of the cheese and dedication shown by all the cheesemakers. I’d like to thank our judges, sponsors and partners, particularly the Welsh Government, for all their continued support and for helping this year’s awards to be bigger and better than ever before, giving the global cheese community a day of well-earned celebration.”

This year’s World Cheese Awards was the 34th edition and has seen more entries than ever before with a record-breaking 4,434 cheeses submitted from 42 countries and 900 companies from around the globe (10.9% UK based, 89.1% international). The cheeses included increased entries from Canada, Argentina, Slovenia and Israel, whilst India followed its first entry in 2021 with several more this year and the Ukraine saw a huge increase in entries after the World Cheese Awards was moved to Wales from its original 2022 location of Kyiv.  Well-established cheesemaking nations such as France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom were well represented by both returning and new entrants, with a notable increase in Swiss entries.

All entries were judged in a single day, as 250 experts from 38 different nations studied their appearance, texture, aroma, and flavour. Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Super Gold accolades were awarded during the morning session before the Super Golds were reassessed to find this year’s top 16 cheeses and this year’s World Champion Cheese.

Keep up to date on socials: @guildoffinefood #WorldCheeseAwards

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However, buyer caution is still required. The forecast growth rate exhibits weather risk, is against a weak comparable, and is likely to be below the long-term average through 2023. Rabobank warns that a potential collision is approaching, with the fourth quarter year-on-year milk supply growth, weak Chinese import demand, and broader demand rationing in developing countries weighing on forecasts. The weak demand from China is expected to further slow in the first half of 2023. A little more milk supply and sluggish dairy demand in home markets will result in Big-7 exportable surpluses expanding into the first half of 2023. Feed prices have fallen, but weather risks linger. Global feed benchmark prices have fallen through the third quarter of 2022, largely as a result of a Ukraine grain corridor opening and Russian exports lifting. Nonetheless, extreme heat in the US threatens crops, and EU spring crops also suffer from unfavourable weather. More disruption to Black Sea trade is still possible Milk prices across most export regions remain elevated and at record levels in some cases. However, there are already signs that the milk price cycle has peaked. Still, strong farmgate milk prices and some cost relief in the form of lower feed and fertiliser prices in some regions will be welcomed by farmers.

In the US, increased cheese capacity is drawing milk away from butter and powder and into cheese, resulting in depressed cheese prices and very high butter prices. The firm US dollar is good for exporters outside the US, but problematic for emerging market economies. In South America, drought and high input costs are still weighing on milk production, while New Zealand’s farmers are also increasingly under pressure due to higher input costs and sliding farmgate milk proce forecasts. Australia’s milk supply recover will be limited by a slow herd rebuild, but it has some relief on the cost front.

In EU 27+UK, milk deliveries dropped by 1.3% or 539,000 metric tons year on year, which is more than previously anticipated. Of the largest EU milk producing states, only Poland saw a gain in the second quarter of 1%. The EU-27 average farmgate milk price reached an average of €50.33/100kg in the quarter. Due to the continent-wide drought and its impact on silage, Rabobank downgraded its fourth quarter milk supply forecast to 0.5% YOY, but modest increases are seen in 2023 of 0.5% and 0.1% in the first and second halves of 2023, respectively.

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School milk is one of the major programmes of the world, with regard to feeding children. In 2021, Tetra Pak estimates milk was served to 61 million children in 41 countries, who received milk or other nutritious beverages in Tetra Park packages through school feeding programmes. The World Food Programme estimates 388 million children in at least 169 countries receive meals at school every day.

For example, Mexico has one of the world’s oldest school milk schemes, with its “Drop of Milk programme” established to address challenges related to child malnutrition, school attendance and food insecurity. Mexico is the world’s 13th largest producer of milk, at 12.9 million metric tons produced in 2021. More than six million children in the country currently benefit from being fed at school.

Overall, the prospect of children facing malnutrition and hunger is set to increase, in light of global inflation and other factors. With the world’s population set to expand to over 9.7 billion by 2050, the education setting will continue to be a key place where children can get a nutritious meal with milk.

Funnily enough, I was looking on Dairy UK’s website and came across its school lunchbox nutrition tips, complete with recipes. I am contemplating making the lemon and yogurt loaf, particularly as I made my own homemade yogurt last week, having a surplus of milk. The broccoli and cheese muffins will also probably have an outing, as there is nothing better than a grab and go snack for everyone, not just the children.

Further reading:

wfp.org

milk.co.uk/world-school-milk-day

fil-idf.org/dairys-global-impact/school-milk-knowledge-hub

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

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To submit a news item for inclusion, please contact Suzanne Christiansen at suzanne@bellpublishing.com or Maddy Barron at maddy@bellpublishing.com.

• interpack is back after six years and a forced absence during the pandemic. From 4-10 May 2023, Düsseldorf will once again become a business platform and future technology workshop.
• Cathedral City becomes the first cheese brand to introduce side opening, resealable packs
• With the help of Elopak, for many dairy companies choosing the right packaging is no longer just about keeping their product fresh, it’s also a chance to demonstrate what they stand for.
• Sidel is inviting customers to meet its experts at Munich’s drinktec 2022 to discuss industry challenges and discover the packaging solutions of the future.

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The unique flair of the Düsseldorf exhibition halls, which will turn into a platform for the world’s packaging industry during interpack: 18 halls, targeted exhibition areas, new speciality shows and forums demonstrate the industry’s innovative prowess. Around 2,700 exhibitors from around the world will present leading technology and packaging trends from the entire value chain. Six years and a forced absence during the pandemic mean that there is a multitude of novel developments on the market.

Although there is still a year before the event, interpack has already been fully booked out and will occupy the entire exhibition area. Interested companies can still register for the waiting list and thus have the chance to exhibit too.

Outside exhibition times, too, interpack’s digital communication platform Tightly Packed keeps its finger on the pulse and continues to offer information on new developments, best practices and trends.

Further up-to-date information on the trade fair is available at www.interpack.com

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According to the survey, America’s favourite flavours depend on who you ask, ice cream makers or consumers. Let’s compare the two groups: 

Top 5 flavours among ice cream makers and scoop shops: 

1. Cookies N’ Cream
2. Vanilla
3. Chocolate 
4. Mint Chocolate Chip 
5. Strawberry 

Top 5 flavours among consumers: 

1. Chocolate 
2. Cookies N’ Cream 
3. Vanilla 
4. Strawberry 
5. Chocolate Chip 

It’s clear that chocolate, vanilla, and cookies n’ cream remain the top-three flavours in the country, mirroring results from the 2017 IDFA-Research America survey. This year, however, a few new flavours entered the top-five with the emergence of strawberry and chocolate chip alongside top-five staple mint chocolate chip. 

“America’s love for ice cream knows no bounds,” says IDFA president and CEO Michael Dykes. “Comforting and satisfying as an indulgent treat, ice cream production and consumption grew throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and sales continue to set a blazing pace at grocery, scoop shops, and corner stores. America’s favourite frozen treat is more than dessert—it also supports nearly 30,000 jobs and pumps $13.1 billion into our nation’s economy each year according to IDFA’s Dairy Delivers. This July, celebrate National Ice Cream Month with a cone, pint, or half-gallon of your favourite flavour and know that you’re also supporting dairy farmers and manufacturers across the nation.” 

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Mylkcubator 2.0 will last 6 months, from selection to the demo day. The goal is to enrol a new cohort of up to 5 startups or scientific projects, with innovative solutions in the cellular agriculture spectrum for the dairy industry within the following technologies: molecular farming, fermentation based, cell based, and applied technologies in this field. All the details about the program are available on the official website mylkcubator.com.  

Pascual Innoventures has flexible venturing models that build, collaborate and support Foodtech startups in its early stages. The incubator will help the selected startups in their business and R&D advancement strategies, preparing them for growth and investment rounds. 

In the words of Gabriel Pascual, director of Pascual Innoventures “The quality of the startups selected in the first edition has been amazing and shows us that this is, clearly, the way to go. The visibility of these projects as well as the investment rounds that they are receiving is a sign that the industry is prepared for this technological transition. Pascual has been a pioneer in shaping the path of innovation and non-conformism. An attitude that has been hatched generation after generation from my grandfather until our generation.”

On the other hand, José Luis Cabañero, CEO and founder of Eatable Adventures, has remarked “Mylkcubator has attracted the attention of companies, technology centres and professional investors from all over the world demonstrating that there is a great opportunity in the market to implement scalable technological solutions to future proof the dairy industry”. Proof of this is that investment in the dairy segment has tripled in 2021, compared with 2020, according to Dealroom data analysed by Eatable Adventures. 

The production of dairy products using cell cultures and fermentation techniques, that are complementary within the dairy industry, demonstrate industrial and commercial viability and presents a huge opportunity for the sector from both an economic and environmental point of view. 

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Key dates for the 2022 World Cheese Awards are as follows:  

Open for entry: 25 July
Closed for entry: 20 September
Cheeses staged: 1 November ​​​​
Judges arrive: 1 November 
Judging: 2 November​​​​
Cheese, food & drink tours: 3 November
Results available: 4 November  

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food – organisers of the competition, says: “It is with enormous pride and excitement that we are taking the 2022 edition of the World Cheese Awards to the ICC in Wales, supported by the Welsh Government.

“It is with mixed emotions that we make this announcement as everyone involved in the competition will know that we should have held the event this year in Kyiv, Ukraine. Obviously, that was not going to be possible, but we are working hard to ensure that the cheesemakers of that proud country are represented in November. This change of location is a postponement rather than a cancellation and we must thank the Welsh Government for its quick thinking and its support.

“To the World Cheese Awards community, we look forward to introducing you to the cheese culture, history and beauty of Wales and we’re excited to see you or your cheese in November.”

This year’s World Cheese Awards will be the 34th year of the largest ‘only-cheese’ event of its kind globally. Last year, the competition was held in Oviedo, Spain, and saw 4,079 cheeses enter from 45 different nations and six continents. A team of 250 judges, made up of technical experts, graders, buyers, retailers, and food writers, tasted and reviewed all the cheeses in one day. A super jury of 16 judges then came together to judge the World Champion Cheese. 

How the judging works:  

Judges work in teams of two or three, to identify any cheeses worthy of a gold, silver, or bronze award. They look at the rind and the body of the cheese, its colour, texture, consistency and, above all, its taste. Each of the teams then nominate one exceptional cheese as the Super Gold from their table. 

These top-flight cheeses are the best in the world and are then judged a second time by a Super Jury made up of 16 internationally recognised experts, who each select a cheese to champion in the final round of judging. The Super Jury, representing all four corners of the globe, then debate the final cheeses in front of a live consumer and trade audience, before choosing the World Champion Cheese live on WCA TV, with cheese lovers across the globe tuning in for the drama. 

 As well as Bronze, Silver, Gold and Super Gold prizes, there are country and cheese specific trophies. 

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To submit a news item for inclusion, please contact Suzanne Christiansen at suzanne@bellpublishing.com or Maddy Barron at maddy@bellpublishing.com.

• Fortified protein snacks drive the expansion of European snacks industry
• Novastell reads the market with ingredients launches at Vitafoods
  

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So, we have been doing this for about 17 years. What we have learned is that no matter what you put out, snails and slugs will eat what they want, regardless of any stories you hear about them not eating onions or (insert your vegetable/flower here). We’ve observed that there are microclimates even in the plot we have (about 10 metres long and 4 metres wide), where the courgette plants are devoured, while the snails and slugs ignore the courgettes on the other side of a patch. I am not mentioning the birds that love brassicas, or the foxes who dig things up for whatever reason. I cannot imagine what commercial farmers have to put up with.

At the very least, I have limited paperwork to fill out in order to plant and grow my produce, unlike those who do it for a living. Although interestingly, the allotment has an environmental waste license so that we may continue to receive deliveries of royal horse manure and the like.

However, as we see from, the US Innovation Center’s Sustainability awards last week, dairy farmers continue thinking about such things and doing something about it, despite being blamed for all manner of global warming. The anti-livestock brigade should think about how farmers are the first to see climate change, and the first to be affected by it. Going after the places that can be carbon sinks as well as carbon emitters seems to be an exercise in foolishness, in my humble opinion. Farmers hold the key to this planet’s future, in a way that other industries do not. They feed us.

* Ed. Note: Allotments are public garden plots that are rented from the local councils. They are very handy for growing things that you can’t or won’t grow in your own back garden, like space-needy squashes and pumpkins. Unsurprisingly, the waiting list for these is very long.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

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Listeria monocytogenes is a psychrotolerant and halotolerant bacteria. As such, it can grow at low temperatures and has the ability to persist in food‐processing areas and equipment. Cheeses made with unpasteurized or raw milk are estimated to be 50 to 160 times more likely to cause Listeria infection
compared to those made with pasteurized milk. Although pasteurization of milk kills Listeria monocytogenes, products made from pasteurized milk can still be contaminated by cross‐contamination from the production process or the environment.

In order to answer the rising demand for a natural and safe solution to this critical issue, LSC now offers the Lalcult Protect LC1, a bioprotective culture composed of an exclusive Carnobacterium maltaromaticum strain patented by University of Lorraine, a renowned French university.
Tests carried out at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) have confirmed the bioprotective effect of Lalcult Protect LC1 through significant limitation of the growth of Listeria monocytogenes concentration on different cheese technologies

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Instead, Gmundner Molkerei will deepen the relationship with the Jäger private dairy in Haag, Upper Bavaria. Jäger operates a pasta filata cheese dairy at the Gmunden site, which is supplied with 70 million kg of raw materials by the cooperative.  

Hermann Jäger has offered the cooperative equal participation so that Gmundner Molkerei will remain in existence and the farmers will become co-owners of Milchwerke Jäger. 

In the next few weeks, the articles of association for Gmundner/Jäger are to be finalised, after which they will be presented to the around 2,000 members at the general assembly for voting. 

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This year’s winners displayed excellence in areas such as methane and other greenhouse gas reduction practices as well as water use efficiencies that support the industrywide 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals. 

The awards, hosted by the farmer-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, have recognized more than 80 winners from nearly 300 nominees since their creation in 2012. 

“This year’s winners exemplify how forward-thinking and regenerative efforts across the entire supply chain have led to positive results and what it means to be an environmental solution,” said Barbara O’Brien, CEO of the Innovation Center for US Dairy. “Considered collectively, these stories of success serve as examples of all the good things US dairy is doing for planetary health and why the aggressive goals we have set are within reach.” 

The awards are judged by an independent panel of dairy and conservation experts who consider innovation, scalability and replicability when evaluating nominations. Among the criteria to apply for the awards is participation and good standing in the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) animal care program and agreement to participate in the FARM Environmental Stewardship online tool for determining their GHG and energy footprint. Both initiatives are part of the US Dairy Stewardship Commitment, US dairy’s social responsibility pledge to consumers, customers and other stakeholders. 

“As a dairy farmer, I understand the importance of community and being a true caretaker of the environment that surrounds our farm and these winners demonstrate these values to their neighbours every day,” said Marilyn Hershey, Pennsylvania dairy farmer and chair of the Dairy Management Inc. board of directors. “These all are solution- and results-oriented businesses who are not only making meaningful contributions locally but to the US dairy industry overall.” 

The 2022 US Dairy Sustainability Awards winners are: 

Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability: Deer Run Dairy, Kewaunee, Wisconsin

At Deer Run Dairy, farming is a continuous learning process. Partners Duane Ducat, Derek Ducat and Dale Bogart actively participate in Wisconsin’s Demonstration Farm Network and Discovery Research program. The region’s topography, shallow soils, and proximity to Lake Michigan pose water quality challenges, and the partners have implemented numerous conservation practices to protect the water and to improve soil health. As big believers in the value of cover crops, they set and achieved a goal to seed 100% of their cropland with cover crops in the fall of 2021. Additional goals encompass the entire 1,850-cow operation, including minimal antibiotic use and feeding trials to reduce methane gas production in the rumen of the cow. All goals ladder up to the ability to be a profitable business on land that is sustained for generations to come.   

Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability: Grayhouse Farms, Inc., Stony Point, North Carolina

When it came time to build a new dairy five years ago, Jimmy and Andy Gray designed a dairy that is, as Jimmy calls it, “conservation and efficiency by design” with dozens of water and soil conservation practices in use. The flush manure management and sand separation system allows sand to be recycled nearly 100 times, and a four-stage lagoon is designed to best utilize nutrients and water. The facility for their 1,120 cows was also built to maximize cow comfort, from ventilation and fans to rubber matting, sprinklers and sand bedding.  Soil conservation practices include GPS placement of nutrients, cover crops, filter strips and 100% no-till farming. Land that is not well-suited for farming is cared for with an equal amount of attention to wildlife conservation. “We understand that we hold the title of this property, but we are the caretakers, and we must be vigilant in HOW we farm,” says Jimmy.   

Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability: Steve and Cheryl Schlangen Dairy Farm, Albany, Minnesota

Steve and Cheryl Schlangen’s mindset of continuous improvement is a way of life on their 60-cow, 200-acre farm in Stearns County, Minnesota.  They count more than 30 conservation practices, from LED lighting and cover crops to a manure-stacking slab that prevents nutrient leaching into the water and a manure injection system that uses less time, less fuel and has virtually eliminated the need for commercial fertilizer on their crops. Their enthusiasm for sharing ideas and results with others has earned them a national reputation as leaders in regenerative agriculture. Schlangen Dairy provides a blueprint for beginning farmers and generational farms to follow. 

Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability: Bar 20, Kerman, California

Bar 20 Dairy’s on-farm energy investments have added up big for the environment. LED bulbs provide lighting in all the barns, reducing the demand for electricity by 75%. Two solar array installations provide electricity for the dairy barn and offset power usage of the farming operation. A dairy digester captures methane from the 7,000-cow herd and converts it into renewable electricity via fuel cells. Through a partnership with BMW North America, the combustion-free, dairy-derived electricity is transmitted via the utility grid to power electric vehicles. The methane emission reductions at the farm, when combined with the renewable energy generation, result in carbon emission reductions equivalent to providing clean power to over 17,000 electric vehicles per year. Electricity generated by the fuel cells also powers a feed mixing system, replacing diesel and reducing smog-forming emissions by 90%. 

Outstanding Dairy Processing Sustainability: Milk Specialties Global, Monroe, Wisconsin

A whey processing project at Milk Specialties Global (MSG) demonstrates how making one change can deliver sustainability benefits across the supply chain.  To meet surging demand for dairy protein in foods and beverages, MSG acquired a plant in Monroe, WI to collect and process whey, a by-product of cheesemaking, into whey proteins. However, the whey supply from local cheesemakers far outweighed processing capacity. Instead of trucking the whey to a larger plant, MSG found a way to double capacity at the plant without increasing the facility’s footprint. Artisanal cheesemakers saw a waste product turn into a revenue stream. The local community benefitted too:  truck miles decreased by 237,232 miles, saving 47,446 gallons of diesel fuel and reducing GHG emissions by 486 metric tons; 2.9 million gallons of water are now reclaimed and returned to the local watershed; and more than 53,000 pounds of whey protein is produced annually to fuel athletes and animals around the globe. 

Outstanding Community Impact: Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers 

Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA) is a community of more than 900 dairy farm families. With 90% of these located within the critical Chesapeake Bay watershed, the cooperative recognizes its responsibility to bring environmental solutions to its members and their communities. Through supply chain and partnerships with corporations, customers, and conservation non-profits, they have delivered more than $19 million in funds to make meaningful sustainability investments on member farms.  To drive community impact, volunteers from MDVA and its partners participate in events such as planting riparian buffers on dairy farms and trash pick-ups along waterways. Planting riparian buffers helps protect critical waterways far beyond the reach of the farm, while also exposing people throughout the dairy supply chain to agriculture.   

Outstanding Supply Chain Sustainability: Bel Brands, Land O’Lakes Inc., Boadwine Dairy

This multi-year program is designed to demonstrate the value of feed production practices that improve soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and supports Bel Brands’ and Land O’Lakes’ shared ambitions to improve sustainable farming practices and reduce dairy’s environmental footprint. The project provides cost incentives, access to resources and expertise, and the use of the Truterra Insights Engine to participating farms. The first pilot took place on Boadwine Dairy, a member-owner of Land O’Lakes, where efforts to improve soil health have been ongoing for more than ten years, and is being expanded to dairy farms ranging in size from 450 – 2000 cows in two regions.    

A formal celebration of the winners is scheduled in conjunction with the Dairy Sustainability Alliance Fall Meeting, 14-15 November in Glendale, Arizona. 

For information about the Innovation Center for US Dairy, visit www.usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center 

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He joins Certification from Severn Trent Water where he was Head of Visitor Experience for five years, responsible for managing the public, land and assets across 30 reservoirs. Working with partners across the land management and recreation sector, Dominic secured capital investment to develop the sites for the benefit of customers, local communities and the environment. Before this he was with Forestry England where he was responsible for certification of the 250,000ha public forest estate ensuring compliance with the UK Woodland Assurance Standard for FSC and PEFC certification. Other previous roles include managing Bedgebury Pinetum and Forest, home to the National Conifer Collection and a variety of senior roles with The Forestry Commission. 

Dominic said: “This is such an exciting time to be joining Soil Association Certification Ltd. The demand for sustainable products and the need for hallmarks that can be trusted has never been so strong and is only going to increase. I am proud to be part of such an esteemed organisation, working with a passionate team to realise the opportunities that lie ahead.” 

“Key to my approach is to create connections, nurture relationships and build partnerships to achieve more together – for the benefit of people and the environment. I will be looking to bring this into the CEO position, seeking to work with producers, clients, retailers, certification bodies and consumers to increase the market share of organic and sustainable forest products as well as the continued growth of carbon markets and ecosystem services.” 

Dominic lives in Solihull with his wife and two young children. As a child he used to play on his grandparent’s smallholding in Leicestershire and enjoyed family holidays on an organic dairy farm in North Wales. He studied Geography at Cambridge University and worked with Ryton Garden Organic to undertake research into nitrogen-fixing organic farming rotations. He went on to study Environmental Technology at Imperial College London and joined an intrepid expedition with the British Trust for Ornithology and Cambridge University to Siberia to identify High Conservation Value areas for FSC certification. 

Martin Sawyer retires from Soil Association Certification after seven years at the helm in which he has overseen many key developments and milestones not least the significant expansion of the organic and forestry businesses including the phenomenal performance and resilience of the Organic Market which broke the £3 billion mark in 2021. His stint at the Soil Association has been the culmination of a hugely successful career in the food industry, and he has brought that lifetime’s experience to the leadership and growth of the business. 

Soil Association Group CEO Helen Browning said: “I will miss Martin immensely. He has led SA Certification admirably for the last seven years and I welcomed his wise advice and constructive approach, his calmness and perspective, particularly in recent years through all the trials and tribulations of Brexit and Covid. I know that the whole organisation and our symbol holders will want to thank him for everything he has done for us, as I do. We wish him the very best for the future.” 

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An interesting item was seen in the Times over the weekend, where Jim Armitage flagged up the issue of the pound sterling being in crisis. Rates are low, which is good for export, but any increased exports due to Brexit have not compensated for the loss of trade. Plus, there’s the issue of supply – if you’re trying to buy things from the Continent, it’s a mixed bag of how timely and cost-efficiently your ingredients/equipment can get to the UK. Not to mention the additional paperwork and headaches. 

Some people are no longer shipping to the UK, and who can blame them? There are 500 million consumers in Europe that they can ship to with less red tape instead. Politicians can yelp all they like, but the exchange rates tell the real story of what the global economy thinks of Brexit – not much. “Since Brexit, sterling has been valued at a discount to its peers because the world’s investors believe British enterprises will not be as productive as they would have been,” Armitage notes. As Warren Buffett has stated, the markets are weighing machines in the long run. British weights are coming up light on the scales.  

Some companies have done well. A lot more British cheese is consumed domestically, I suspect. However, getting the staff in is now much more of a headache, now that EU citizens are just another set of immigrants. The government’s response is to scold companies to not rely on foreign labour, as per British Secretary of Transport Grant Schapps on television just this morning. Who is going to do the work then? Is he going off to the airports to unload baggage, or to the ports to check over the dairy products that need veterinary clearance to go to the EU? Yes, I thought not.  

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

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To submit a news item for inclusion, please contact Suzanne Christiansen at suzanne@bellpublishing.com or Maddy Barron at maddy@bellpublishing.com.

• Coveris launches recyclable, reduced plastic cheese packs for Iceland
• Austria adds mandatory origin labelling for more products
• Mintel offers brands ways to engage in Southeast Asia

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Milk from the source 

Together as a united food and beverage industry, we have a big role play in contributing to a more sustainable dairy landscape. As our population grows, so does the strain on our resources, and consumers are becoming more aware of this. With every single dairy cow generating three tons of CO2 equivalent each per year, changes have to be made to ensure dairy’s future as a valuable source of nutrition. To operate more sustainably, dairy manufacturers must work together with farmers, where the biggest sustainability gains can be made.   

To help dairy farmers overcome the monumental challenge of decreasing methane output, DSM developed a feed additive for cows and other ruminants such as sheep, goat and deer, that suppresses the enzyme that triggers methane production in a cow’s rumen. This breakthrough innovation consistently reduces enteric methane emission by approximately 30% for dairy cows. Ultimately, enabling dairy farmers to operate more sustainably by significantly cutting down greenhouse gas emissions.  

Prosperity for the future of dairy 

While taste and texture are repeatedly cited as the most important factors for consumers in determining product choice, around 61% of consumers globally are more conscious of leading healthier lifestyles, post pandemic.2 Many want to know more about the influence of food on their health and are now seeking solutions enriched with additional vitamins and minerals – for example, 46% of consumers globally have turned to food to boost their immune health. 

With DSM Food & Beverage, producers can access fortification, taste and texture solutions that take products to the next level in nutrition, sustainability and consumer appeal. Because today and every day, dairy consumers should – and can – enjoy it all.  

Beyond World Milk Day, DSM’s goal is to provide the food and beverage industry with solutions that consumers love not only for their taste, texture and health benefits, but also for their sustainability credentials. This is supported by DSM’s broader commitments to enable double-digit livestock emission reductions by 2030, and to reach 150 million people with nutritious, sustainable plant-based protein foods by 2030.  

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