International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) president and CEO Connie Tipton told attendees at the annual U.S. Dairy Forum recently the industry needs to use innovation and unity to combat the sluggish economy. Speaking to more than 880 producers, processors and suppliers, Tipton said the past year of low milk prices, plunging exports and consumer belt-tightening has shown the current safety net for dairy doesn’t work. She urged the industry to abandon the status-quo and give serious consideration to the plan put forth by the National Milk Producers Federation task force. She stated, “The U.S. dairy industry has a chance in 2010 to re-chart its future.”
Tipton says another lesson we hopefully have learned through all of this is the importance of knowing what the consumer wants and doing what it takes to fill that need. “We need more people eating dairy and choosing dairy ingredients and that means we’d better know what consumers are thinking and what’s tickling their taste buds.”
Over the years, Tipton’s processor group has been at-odds with producer groups on various issues, the leader called on all in the industry to meet the challenges of today and the future with resolve and teamwork.
Read the text of Tipton’s full speech here;
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