U.S. Dairy Community Releases Sixth Sustainability Report

Jul 11, 2017 9:00 AM ET

From farm to table, transparency and ingenuity drive dairy forward, as demonstrated in the newly released 2016 U.S Dairy Sustainability Report, which updates stakeholders on the progress of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment.
 
Through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the U.S. dairy community is working together to continuously improve its economic, environmental and social contributions to responsible and resilient food systems for current and future generations.
 
The 2016 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report:

  • Describes progress on the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s strategic plan focused on social responsibility. The plan was developed by dairy community leaders in recognition of the changing consumer and customer marketplace where health, environmental and ethical practices are of increasing interest.
  • Includes a graphic snapshot of the U.S. Dairy Farm-to-Table value chain, showing the role that dairy plays in America’s food system.
  • Details the dairy community’s joint efforts and goals in focus areas including Sustainable Nutrition, Food Safety, People & Community, Animal Care and Environmental Stewardship.
  • Lists more than two dozen dairy organizations publishing Sustainability Reports and using the Stewardship & Sustainability Framework for U.S. Dairy, which provides industry guidelines for measuring and communicating environmental stewardship, social responsibility and continuous improvement.
  • Describes the dairy community’s initiative to authentically and transparently communicate with consumers through the Undeniably Dairy program, which kicked off on World Milk Day, June 1, 2017. 

Also included in the report is an infographic showing the potential impact of reducing food waste; a family of four that buys and eats just what they need would save approximately $1,484 per year. Just half the annual savings would be enough to provide food-insecure neighbors with up to 8,162 meals through food banks; and 20 families working together in the same way could provide up to 163,240 meals.
 
For more information on the Innovation Center’s sustainability efforts, please contact Karen Scanlon.
 
Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a forum for the dairy industry to work together pre-competitively to address barriers and opportunities to foster innovation and increase sales. The Innovation Center aligns the collective resources of the industry to offer consumers nutritious dairy products and ingredients, and promote the health of people, communities, the planet and the industry. The Board of Directors for the Innovation Center includes dairy industry leaders representing key farmer organizations, dairy cooperatives, companies, manufacturers and brands. The Innovation Center is staffed by Dairy Management Inc™. Visit USDairy.com for more information about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

Media Contact:
Lisa McComb
(847) 627-3744

Read the Report