Global Dairy Organizations Unite to Advance Research Goals

Six global dairy organizations have formed the International Dairy Research Consortium for Nutrition and Health, a partnership to accelerate pre-competitive research on dairy's nutrition and health benefits.

The founding partners all significant funders of dairy research include:

· Centre National Interprofessionnel de L'Économie Laitière (France)

· Dairy Australia

· Dairy Farmers of Canada

· Dairy Research Institute (U.S.)

· Danish Dairy Research Foundation

· Dutch Dairy Association

The Consortium will advance dairy nutrition and health research by identifying common goals including those that are supported by U.S. dairy producers with the largest potential to increase dairy demand. It will align the knowledge and resources needed to rapidly advance these research goals.

Potential interest areas include research to better understand how major nutrients and other components in milk may provide benefits related to various diseases.

"Dairy nutrition research is at a critical point. There is mounting evidence indicating that dairy's benefits extend beyond good nutrition and may reduce the risk of several major chronic diseases, but more research is needed to fully substantiate these claims," said Gregory Miller, Ph.D., president of the Dairy Research Institute and executive vice president of the National Dairy Council®, the nutrition communications arm of the dairy checkoff. "Building international alignment through this Consortium will accelerate our ability to firmly establish newer benefits of dairy and its position as an essential part of a healthy diet."

Global Dairy Platform (GDP) will facilitate the Consortium's first meeting in August and has been officially identified to manage the group on an administrative level. GDP connects CEOs, executives, researchers, and marketers to collaborate on worldwide issues affecting dairy demand.

"The Consortium will advance dairy producers' goal of aligning the entire industry, not just in the United States, but globally," said Paul Rovey, Arizona dairy producer and Dairy Research Institute board member. "This will bring additional resources to priorities that dairy producers have identified as important to our long-term goals."

For more nutrition research information, visit www.USDairy.com/dairyresearchinstitute

For more information about producer-funded programs, visit www.dairycheckoff.com .

06.30.2011