Our Story

With a rich history spanning over 100 years, our work has consistently revolved around enhancing community health.

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For more than 100 years, Dairy Council of California has been dedicated to empowering champions to elevate the health of children and communities by promoting lifelong healthy eating patterns. 

As a nutrition organization, Dairy Council of CA is made up of a team of dedicated nutritionists, advocacy experts, health and wellness advisors, and communication and marketing professionals. We have a strong value for collaboration and are committed to working collectively across sectors, including our dairy community. We work directly with educators, foodservice professionals, health and wellness providers and community leaders.

Together, we champion milk and dairy foods’ unique and essential role in achieving equitable and sustainable nutrition security. We strive to ensure milk and dairy foods are a valued part of nutritious food access for all, and a part of daily, healthy eating patterns. Through these collective efforts, we reach millions of individuals in California and throughout the United States each year, positively impacting countless lives and fostering a healthier, more vibrant future. 

Dairy Council of California’s Origins

In 1919, dairymen Sam Greene and Chester Earl Gray witnessed the effects that rickets, a public health concern at the time, had on the health of school-age children, and they wanted to do something. Around the same time, biochemist Elmer McCollum discovered vitamin A in dairy and proclaimed it as a vital life substance, publishing articles advocating for the health benefits of dairy foods in the daily diet. As visionaries, Greene and Gray set out to create a movement to improve the health of children by educating the public about dairy’s important contribution to health, making milk and dairy foods available to students at school, and providing students and families with access to free nutrition education. Through their foresight and support, Dairy Council of California was formed. 

Funded by California’s dairy farm families and milk processors, Dairy Council of California is a nutrition organization overseen by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. It is the dairy community’s philanthropic contribution to community health, positively impacting countless lives and fostering a healthier, more vibrant future. 

Since its inception more than a century ago, Dairy Council of California has progressively evolved, and its commitment to elevating the health of children and communities in California by promoting livelong healthy eating patterns has stayed steadfast and strong.

Dairy Council of California prioritizes Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) to address inequities impacting community nutrition. With a dedicated team, we are committed to building an inclusive work climate to advance DEIA in all levels of the organization and the work we do. Let’s Eat Healthy, an initiative of Dairy Council of California, mobilizes nutrition equity efforts through collaboration to improve access to healthy foods and nutrition education and elevate the health of all children and families in California and beyond.     

Making a Difference

Dairy Council of California is proud of its rich history of championing children’s health and advocating for nutrition education and agri-food literacy to support community health. The organization’s services and resources educate millions of children and families every year through key pathways such as schools, health clinics and community resource organizations, teaching individuals how to eat healthfully and support access to healthy, wholesome foods. 

As a leader in nutrition, Dairy Council of California has an in-house nutrition science team that collects, analyzes and communicates current research and trends on nutrition education and healthy eating patterns. Through this work, Dairy Council of California incorporates and leverages the latest in nutrition science to educate, equip and empower stakeholders with science-based, relevant nutrition information and resources.

Dairy Council of California educates and empowers more than 4 million Californians each year, and more than 124 million since its inception.