Dairy

Any way you want it, that's the way they make it: Swiss, Greek, drinkable, probiotic, nonfat, cream top, crumble top. At McDonald's (MCD) it's served as a parfait, at the farmers' market it's made out of goat milk (from local goats, natch). Yogurt's growth has outpaced the rest of the U.S. food industry, and U.S. sales are up 15% from 2010, according to Nielsen. …

The Dairy Research Institute®, through the support of the dairy checkoff, announced the winners of the inaugural Dairy Research Institute New Product Competition during a special July 16 ceremony at the 2012 American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Meeting in Phoenix. The competition is designed to help inspire dairy innovation by challenging college students to develop dairy-based products that meet consumer needs. This year, participants were tasked with creating a dairy beverage that included more than 51 percent of fresh milk, dry milk or other dairy ingredients. …

The nation’s two biggest suppliers of organic milk are embroiled in a lawsuit. An employee responsible for milk procurement with Horizon Organics (a part of WhiteWave Foods, owned by the $13-billion dairy giant Dean Foods) quit his job in May 2012 and took a similar position with Organic Valley less than two weeks later. Horizon and WhiteWave have brought a lawsuit alleging a breach of contract and the misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets. …

Rabobank has published a new report listing the top 20 largest dairy companies in the world, ranked by dairy product turnover. The report highlights the 'who's who of dairy' as well as the continuing spate of merger and acquisition activity and tensions between the past and future of the dairy industry. …

Attorneys for General Mills Inc. went before a federal judge on Friday to defend the the company's Yoplait Greek-style yogurt against charges that it is neither Greek nor yogurt. …