2024 Trends for the Dairy Community and More

Dear Friend, 

Dairy Council of California is pleased to release the 2024 Trends for the Dairy Community. This report explores current trends that are potential challenges and growth opportunities for the California dairy community and provides implications for how these food and nutrition topics could impact the dairy community in the next one to three years. 

This issue of Trends examines the following topics:

• Changing age demographics across California and the United States are creating societal shifts with lasting impacts. 
• Momentum for sustainable diets builds, though consumer attitudes and behaviors show challenges to aligning choices with values. 
• Personalized nutrition approaches to chronic disease management have gained widespread acceptance, yet disparities remain between those with access to interventions and those without. 
• Consumers embrace whole dairy foods ahead of dietary recommendations and federal nutrition programs. 

We also want to thank the entire external review committee for diligently providing feedback before publication, particularly our board member Vance Ahlem and Roots of Change. Stay tuned for upcoming emails where we will highlight each of the four top trends including short 60-second videos on each one.

Review the full publication here. 

Dairy Council of CA Leads a Global Workgroup on the Role of Dairy in Dietary Guidelines 

Ashley Rosales, Nutrition and Industry Affairs Officer at Dairy Council of CA, recently led the International Dairy Federation’s (IDF) Action Team on Dairy’s Place on Food-Based Dietary Guidelines to develop a factsheet that highlights the importance of including nutrient-dense dairy foods in global dietary guidelines based on credible scientific evidence. Publication of the Factsheet Developing Evidence-Based, Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: Critical Contributions of Dairy was recently announced at the IDF Nutrition and Health Symposium 2024.  

For more, on the Factsheet announcement, click here.  

The new IDF Factsheet can be downloaded here.

Dairy Council of CA and California Beef Council Host Future Leaders at a Dairy Farm Tour  

Recently, Dairy Council of CA, in partnership with the California Beef Council, took 55 future dietitians, high school students, educators and school nutrition professionals to DeSnayer Dairy in Lodi to see firsthand the critical role of dairy farms in sustainable agriculture, how milk goes from farm to table and the importance of school nutrition programs.

Participants gained insights into the lifecycle of dairy production from feed management to milking and learned how the dairy community contributes to the beef supply chain. Most importantly, the group gained a deeper understanding of how these two agricultural sectors—beef and dairy—contribute to providing nutritious food options for school programs and consumers. 

We thank the DeSnayer family for opening up the dairy to educate these future leaders and the California Beef Council for its partnership on the tour. 

Read more about the tour here. 

New Resources on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza for Dairy Producers

The California Department of Food and Agriculture recently released two resources to support dairy farmers’ response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A: 

• CDFA HPAI in Cattle Response Plan Infographic
• HPAI Sampling Guidance Federal funds are also available to support affected dairies, including for biosecurity, employee personal protective equipment, heat treatment of waste milk and more.

Learn more about the USDA’s response here. 

If you have questions, concerns or feedback you would like to share, please do not hesitate to reach out.


Best regards,

Amy DeLisio, CEO
Dairy Council of California
adelisio@DairyCouncilofCA.org