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Survey shows dairy industry how better to market foods
 
By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent
 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A recent survey that found 7 percent of its respondents thought chocolate milk comes from brown cows may elicit a chuckle from those who know better, but it’s serious business for the dairy industry.
 
“If I’d seen the results before I worked here, I would have probably thought, ‘Oh, people know where it comes from,’” said Jenni Browning, senior director of communications and wellness for the American Dairy Assoc. Indiana (ADAI).

“But after working here nine years, I know people are so far removed from agriculture.

“They’re so disconnected from how food is raised, where it comes from. The survey just shows how important our job is. We’re shocked by the statistic, but we can take this as an opportunity.”

The online survey of 1,000 American adults was done May 5-9 for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. It wasn’t intended as a scientific or academic study, but rather a way “to gauge some interesting and fun facts about consumers’ perceptions of dairy,” said Lisa McComb, senior vice president, communications, for Dairy Management Inc.

“Responses came from all 50 states and the regional response breakdown was fairly even,” she added.

Visiting a farm is a key to understanding how the food supply chain works, Browning said. “People do want to know more about their food and how it’s raised,” she explained. “When I started, most of the questions (from the public) were about the nutritional value of milk.

Then they focused on the safety of milk and how it’s processed.

“Now, they want to know more about what the cow is eating. Once they get to a farm, they can ask the farmer questions.

We can also help the farmer learn to communicate with the public as well.”

The survey was a part of the Innovation Center’s “Undeniably Dairy” campaign, which began in May. Dairy Management founded the center in 2008.

“Despite dairy farms being in all 50 states and most of us living within 100 miles of a dairy farm, many people have never set foot on a farm,” noted Beth Engelmann, chief marketing communications officer for Dairy Management. “Undeniably Dairy is about reestablishing the connection between the enjoyment of the product and the hard work and pride of the people who make it possible.”

While the survey also found that 48 percent of respondents didn’t know where chocolate milk comes from, it included several statistics on dairy consumption.

Nine in 10 respondents consume dairy weekly and 95 percent said they had at least one type of cheese in their refrigerator. The respondents said 42 percent of their milk consumption is at breakfast and 25 percent said they have gone to the store before 6 a.m. just to get milk.

Sixty-three percent said they would prefer to have milk and cookies on a Friday night rather than going out.

“(The statistics) are an affirmation to the things we know,” Browning said. “There’s no question people enjoy dairy products. They’re a part of our everyday life; kids enjoy ice cream and cheese on pizza.”

Consumption of fluid milk in the United States declined steadily from 2010 to 2015, according to the USDA’s most recent statistics. Consumption of all dairy products increased during the same period.

The agency recommends people age 9 and older have three cups – or equivalent of cheese – of dairy daily.

Children ages 2-3 should have 2 cups and those 4-8 should have 2.5 cups. The ADAI is grateful to farmers who open their operations to visitors, Browning said. “It helps (the public) just to know what goes into farming. Agriculture is huge to our economy, but most of us aren’t involved in agriculture. In the past, your parents or grandparents had a farm. That’s not the case now.”

In addition to farm visits, ADAI tries to spread the word about dairy through events such as the Indianapolis 500, where the winner traditionally drinks a bottle of milk in Victory Lane. 
6/28/2017