Eucolait meeting culminates with new MOU
May 25, 2023
USDEC staff led by President and CEO Krysta Harden traveled to Warsaw, Poland, in late May for the annual Eucolait General Assembly. The purpose of the trip was twofold: Harden spoke at a May 25 panel presentation, “Who will satisfy the growing global demand for dairy?” and USDEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the European dairy trade organization to strengthen innovation and trade, share information and bolster the image of dairy.
April 20, 2023
On April 20, representatives from USDEC, National Milk Producers Federation, the Pan American Dairy Federation and the National Agricultural Organizations from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia adopted a set of joint principles aimed at advocating globally for science-based, forward-looking public policy on the issues of agriculture, climate and trade.
Under the agreement’s language, the groups will coordinate efforts on dairy, livestock and trade for global food systems and climate conferences. The organizations aim to work together and with their respective governments to play a role in shaping the discussion around agriculture’s role in a sustainable future.
Click arrow below for a news release on the agreement.
March 30, 2023
USDEC organized a Capitol Hill “fly-in” following its Spring Membership Meeting in late March. USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden, COO Martha Scott Poindexter and the USDEC Trade Policy team (Jaime Castaneda, Shawna Morris and Tony Rice), accompanied nine members of USDEC's Operating Committee as they met with officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative, several House members and others.
Click on the arrow below to learn more.
March 3, 2023
U.S. lawmakers and food industry representatives gathered March 1 on Capitol Hill for a bipartisan discussion on common food names in what turned out to be a landmark week in the battle to preserve U.S. food and beverage companies’ rights to use those names. Just two days later, a U.S. appeals court ruled the name “gruyere” is generic, blocking an attempt by Swiss and French consortiums to expropriate a common food name through a U.S. certification mark registration.
Learn more by clicking on arrow shown below.
USDEC positions U.S. dairy sustainability story and trade with UN environment leaders
February 10, 2023
USDEC’s Sustainability and Multilateral Affairs team was in Nairobi, Kenya in early February engaging with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), U.S. government representatives, key UNEP member states and regional partners.
USDEC had multiple goals for the meetings: promote the critical role of U.S. dairy exports in sustainable food systems, support science-based policymaking and proactively mitigate potential UN-driven barriers to U.S. dairy exports.
Four USA Cheese Specialist Certification Programs take place this month
January 19, 2023
The USA Cheese Specialist™ Certification Program (USA CSCP) is starting 2023 with a bang. About 75 culinary students, culinary professionals and importers kicked off training in Hong Kong and the Middle East in January.
USDEC created the USA CSCP to educate professionals across the foodservice and retail sectors about U.S. cheese quality, applications and the industry’s commitment to exports. The goal is straightforward: build awareness and heritage of U.S. cheese to create a generation of U.S. cheese advocates.
Whey Protein Forum highlights dairy protein advantages for Korean thought leaders
November 15, 2022
USDEC has spent the last two years outlining the many facets of U.S. whey protein—functionality, versatility, nutritional benefits and manufacturing—to South Korean nutrition and thought leaders and media through the Whey Protein Forum.
In mid-November, USDEC Senior Vice President, Global Ingredients Marketing Vikki Nicholson-West tied all that information together into a single, clear package at the 6th Whey Protein Forum in Seoul, South Korea.
About 20 food and nutrition thought leaders, university professors and journalists attended the event. Feedback from attendees was quite positive, with many citing the presentation as easy to understand, persuasive and providing a complete picture of whey protein.
November 12, 2022
A high-level delegation co-led by USDEC President & CEO Krysta Harden and Dairy Management Inc. Chair Marilyn Hershey showcased U.S. dairy’s key contributions to global climate and food security goals at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt.
USDEC was a major contributor to the first-ever Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion hosted by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), which convened panels that allowed producers, agriculture experts, academics, dairy industry leaders, supply chain partners, and senior government representatives to address COP27 negotiators and stakeholders.
To read the full news release, click below.
October 19, 2022
A delegation from USDEC visited Europe in mid-October to begin deepening engagement with the EU in pursuit of more predictable trading conditions and to foster continued growth in dairy consumption, sustainability and food security. USDEC also showcased the high quality of U.S. cheesemaking while conveying U.S. dairy’s sustainability leadership.
The delegation consisted of USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden, Senior VP of Trade Policy Shawna Morris, Senior VP of Sustainability and Multilateral Affairs Nick Gardner, Senior VP of Global Cheese Marketing Angelique Hollister and Senior VP of Global Retail Programs Merle McNeil.
Click below to learn more.
World Dairy Summit concludes with event hand-off to U.S.
September 14, 2022
The countdown has begun for the 2023 International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit, hosted by the U.S.
During the gala dinner ceremony at this year’s Summit, the 2022 host country, India, handed off the symbolic host key to the US-IDF Organizing Committee Co-chairs Nick Gardner, USDEC Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Multilateral Affairs, center, and Shawna Morris, USDEC Senior Vice President of Trade Policy, second from right.
September 8, 2022
Given Japan’s vigilant approach to COVID-19 and elevated numbers of new case totals in recent weeks, USDEC was uncertain what kind of response its in-person interactive workshop in early September would generate. It was the first face-to-face ingredients workshop in Japan since the start of the pandemic.
The fact that the event attracted 27 representatives from food and beverage companies speaks to the high degree of interest in using U.S. whey and milk proteins as key ingredients in new product development efforts.
Download full article by clicking below.
August 17, 2022
USDEC and the National Milk Producers Federation served as U.S. hosts and event organizers for the Binational Dairy Conference in mid-August, which brought together leading dairy representatives from the United States and Mexico.
The dairy leaders agreed to facilitate fair trade between the two nations, while working to expand dairy consumption, enhance dairy farm productivity and strengthen the reputation of milk and dairy products in both countries.
Click below to see a full list of mutually agreed-upon objectives from the conference.
August 1, 2022
With COVID-19 restrictions eased, the U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence in Singapore is ramping up in-person activities. In July, food and beverage product development specialists gathered at the U.S. CDE for a 2.5-day workshop highlighting the innovation potential of U.S. dairy ingredients. “Our aim was to introduce the multi-faceted benefits of U.S. dairy ingredients to inspire food and beverage manufacturers in Southeast Asia to expand product lines with U.S. dairy proteins and permeate,” said USDEC's Kristi Saitama.
Click below to learn more.
June 16, 2022
USDEC CEO Krysta Harden attended the White House signing ceremony for the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which sets in motion a series of new rules and regulations regarding ocean carrier practices.
The legislation was introduced in response to the vocal advocacy by NMPF, USDEC and other agricultural export and shipper organizations, as problems with effective ocean freight transportation worsened. USDEC is now urging speedy implementation by the Federal Maritime Commission.
For more details on the new law, click below.