Happy, Healthy National Dairy Month

Jean H. Ragalie, R.D. President National Dairy Council

Greetings,

June is National Dairy Month, a celebration of the many ways dairy products and dairy farmers positively impact the lives of Americans — from the farm to the table and beyond. As our world's population increases, it's about more than producing enough food but rather providing foods that are nutritious, produced sustainably and economically viable for all. We have a shared responsibility to protect the future health of generations to come. National Dairy Council (NDC), dairy farm families and dairy companies recognize there are serious challenges to doing this — and we are committed to working together with our many government and non-government health and wellness partners to help address the health of our people, communities and planet.

Healthy People
It all starts with delivering healthy products. Dairy foods are nutrient-rich. In fact, the dairy group — milk, cheese and yogurt — provides just 10 percent of the calories in the American diet and contributes many essential nutrients that are important for good health, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and riboflavin. While few foods deliver this powerhouse of nutrients in such an affordable, appealing and readily available way, dairy companies are continuously collaborating with manufacturers and quick-service restaurants to create nutritious products that meet consumers' evolving needs — from lower sugar/calorie flavored milk and lower-fat/lower-sodium cheeses to lactose-reduced milk.

Healthy Communities
Dairy farmers' long-standing commitment to health and wellness goes beyond delivering nutritious and affordable products, and extends to communities and local economies. Through NDC, dairy farmers have supported child nutrition research, education and communication in their communities and schools for nearly a century — most recently through Fuel Up to Play 60, which empowers youth in more than 70,000 schools across the country to make long-term, positive changes in their schools and communities. Making this impact would not have been possible without the collaborative effort of critical partners and health professionals — including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, with whom NDC has worked with for decades to achieve our common goal of positively impacting the health of Americans of all ages.

Healthy Planet
Creating healthy people and healthy communities is important, but dairy's contributions would be incomplete without mention of the emphasis on preserving a healthy planet. For dairy farmers and dairy companies, protecting the earth's natural resources is critical to their livelihood. It's a consideration that must be taken to ensure future generations of farmers and consumers have access to the same quality of dairy farming and products that we do today. While this is an evolving process, we are proud of the progress we've made thus far. Since 1944, the environmental impact of a gallon of milk has been significantly reduced, using 90 percent less cropland, 65 percent less water and 63 percent smaller carbon footprint. There is still much to learn about sustainability, and we look forward to our future growth with this in mind. I encourage you to read on in this issue of The Dairy Download to learn more about farmers' commitment to sustainable farming practices.

As a continuation of this shared commitment to health, sustainability and nutrition, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy^® will join NDC's partner — the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — in co-sponsoring "Future of Food: Food Security for the 21^st Century" on June 14 in Washington, D.C. This Washington Post and Slate summit will bring together leading experts in nutrition, government and business to collaborate on a solutions-oriented discussion on the production and distribution of healthy and affordable foods to all Americans — and discuss the role the U.S. plays in global food issues.

I invite you to watch a live stream of this event on washingtonpostlive.com, and encourage you to join the conversation by using the event hashtag, #Thinkfood and visiting www.DairyGood.org. In a time of such progress, I could not be more excited to see what’s next — and look forward to working together to further address the health of our fellow citizens, our communities and our planet.

In good health,

Jean H. Ragalie, R.D. President National Dairy Council

For generations, many dairy farm families have viewed taking care of the environment as an inherent part of producing fresh, wholesome milk and milk products. Their livelihood depends on being good stewards of the land, dedicated animal caretakers and productive members of their communities. A wonderful example of a farm family working toward a more sustainable environment is Marie Audet, co-owner of Blue Spruce Farm in Vermont, which was founded by her parents in 1958 and who was recently awarded the Elanco Award for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability.

"Farmers have cared about sustainability long before it was popular to," she said. "As we evolve and strive to produce more as the population grows, we need to do so with innovative and creative ideas and technology that reflect our understanding of the importance of sustainability."

The Blue Spruce Farm is now the largest employer in Bridgeport, Vermont, and a renowned pioneer in operational efficiency; it was one of the first farms in the country to install a variable speed vacuum pump control, which decreased energy used during milking by nearly 60 percent. The farm has also reduced greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 500 pounds of CO₂e per cow per year by pursuing new sustainability technology. Blue Spruce Farm is also well known for being the first dairy to participate in Central Vermont Public Service's groundbreaking Cow Power^™ program, which allows consumers to purchase renewable energy generated on dairy farms.

Watch a video tour of the Blue Spruce Farm to learn more about how the Audet family is taking action to make the future of sustainable farming — and the future of a healthy planet — a reality. Also, check out the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy^®'s latest sustainability report to learn more about the collective effort to measure and improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of U.S. dairy from farm to table.

Dairy foods account for just 10 percent of the calories in the American diet, while providing a unique and powerful nutrient package. Giving Americans access to affordable and convenient dairy foods is critical to helping ensure they get the nutrients necessary for good health, and two recent studies add to the existing body of research supporting the role milk, cheese and yogurt as part of a healthy diet play in helping to reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases.

These studies are consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans' overarching concept to focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods. Adding just one more serving of dairy a day can help meet the Dietary Guidelines' recommendations for dairy food intake and help close some of the nutrient gaps in Americans' diets. In general, intake of milk and milk products is lower for females than for males, and declines with age.

Learn more about dairy foods' nutritional impact and get tips on how to incorporate dairy foods, fruits and vegetables and whole grains into your diet.

The focus on nutrient-dense foods in recent pieces of nutrition guidance (such as the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA's Nutritional Standards for School Meals) is attributed to the need to ensure that all Americans meet recommended nutrient intakes while staying within recommended calories to help with growth and development, and help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Dairy foods, including milk, cheese and yogurt, are a substantial contributor of many nutrients important to good health. In fact, milk is the number one food source of three of the four nutrients the Dietary Guidelines identified as nutrients of public health concern — calcium, vitamin D and potassium — as well as the leading contributor of vitamin A, riboflavin, magnesium and phosphorus.

However, consumers' awareness of dairy beyond calcium, vitamin D and bone health is low. With 1 in 6 Americans struggling to buy food (nearly 50 million Americans live in food insecure households) and the ongoing obesity epidemic, it is critical to help the public understand how to get the most nutrition from the foods they eat. Check out this edition of the Dairy Council Digest to learn more about why dairy is a critical building block of a nutrient-rich diet for Americans of all ages.

Would you like to receive more updates on the latest dairy research? Subscribe to Dairy Research Insights, the Dairy Research Institute^®'s monthly e-newsletter.

Check Out Who's Dropping by The Dairy Report!

Don't miss our special guest contributors on The Dairy Report this month! With insights from dairy farmers, "Future of Food: Food Security for the 21st Century" summit participants, dairy companies and representatives from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, this National Dairy Month celebration is packed with a wide variety of new and exciting information.

New Sample Menus Can Help Build Healthy School Meals

Children are the future, which is why dairy farmers and companies are committed to providing healthy products that align with the USDA's new Nutritional Standards for School Meals. The updated nutrition standards reflect a school meal environment that goes beyond lunch as more students take advantage of school breakfast programs.

Milk, cheese and yogurt contribute important nutrients to the school meal programs. In fact, milk is the number one food source of calcium, vitamin D and potassium in children's diets and continues to be required to be offered at both breakfast and lunch. To support school nutrition professionals' efforts to provide healthy meals to students, National Dairy Council now offers color-coded sample menus and nutritional analyses for breakfast and lunch meals that meet these new guidelines. Also, Fuel Up to Play 60 offers exciting ideas to help students take the lead in making healthy, long-term changes in their schools — visit their website to learn more.

Did you know that for children 2 to 18 years old, milk is the number one food source of nine essential nutrients? An 8-ounce container of milk delivers calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin (niacin equivalents). And, at about 25 cents a glass, milk is a nutritional bargain!

Look for NDC at these upcoming meetings:

IDEA World Fitness Convention
July 6 — 8, 2012, San Diego, CA

National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
July 7 — 10, 2012, Las Vegas, NV

Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) Annual Conference
July 14 — 17, 2012, Washington, DC

School Nutrition Association (SNA) Annual National Conference
July 15 — 18, 2012, Denver, CO

National Medical Association (NMA) Annual Convention
July 28 — August 1, 2012, New Orleans, LA

CDR Certificate of Training in Child and Adolescent Weight Management
September 6 — 8, 2012, Atlanta, GA

NWICA Nutrition Conference
September 11 — 13, Los Angeles, CA

For a full schedule of upcoming engagements, visit NationalDairyCouncil.org.