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DMI, restaurants increase dairy sales

U.S. Cheese sales are getting a boost from fast food chains.  Paul Ziemnisky with Dairy Management Incorporated (DMI) says partnering with the restaurants has led to new products and more demand for dairy products.

DMI partners with Yum! Brands where they’ve helped develop dairy-rich menu items for Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, including the Quesalupa which Ziemnisky says was a success for the chain and the dairy industry.  “It’s a great benefit for the dairy industry.  It delivers five times as much cheese as a normal taco, so when you think about just during a promotional window, Taco Bell shipped an incremental 60-million pounds of equivalent milk.”

Ziemnisky says their partnerships with Pizza Hut moved an additional 240 million pounds of dairy last year and McDonald’s had 14% growth in dairy use through the 3^rd quarter of 2016.  He says they can’t disclose actual figures for any of the restaurant chains, but McDonald’s moves billions of equivalent milk pounds annually, and converting from margarine to butter drove 500-million pounds of additional milk since the 4^th quarter of 2015.

Ziemnisky says Domino’s Pizza has increased cheese consumption 43% since 2009, saying their new online ordering technology makes it easier for consumers to buy pizzas.