INSIDE DIPPIN’ DOTS | NON-DAIRY BEVERAGE TRENDS | IFT SHOW PREVIEW
May 2011
Innovative Ideas for Dairy Processors
Functional Ingredients
Sustainable Practices
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May 2011 Vol. 112, No. 5
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S
Non-dairy Beverage Flavors Whether it’s an exotic juice, flavored tea or an energy drink, today’s non-dairy beverage makers give dairy processors some ideas about ingredient and flavor trends. p. 38
Functional and Sustainable Ingredients On our cover: Flavors and ingredients are themes in this month’s issue. Cheese is an ideal vehicle for flavors, like herbs and seeds. These days, cheesemakers seek to reduce sodium without compromising the taste or shape of cheese. This month we write about flavors (see page 26), ingredients (page 46) and the IFT Food Expo (page 58). On page 110, Kraft’s Nigel Kirtley writes about the challenge of sodium reduction. The cover photo is courtesy of DCI Cheese Co., Richfield, Wis.
Better-for-you and better-for-the-environment are two themes driving innovation. Dairy products are being enhanced with antioxidants, including carotenoids, polyphenols (for example anthocyanin, flavonoids and resveratrol) and vitamins. p. 46
IFT Show Preview The world’s largest annual food science forum and exposition, the IFT 11 Annual Meeting + Food Expo, runs from June 11-14 in New Orleans. p. 58
Features News & Trends 10 Newsline Re-writing milk pricing rules; marketing efforts of Nesquik, Laughing Cow and Kraft; concerns about the dairy import tax; FDA’s new website
Products & Marketing 20 Dairy Market Trends
26
Cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt
22
New Product Review Ready-to-drink tea
Departments 8 16 19 96 102 104 109 110
Ingredient Technology
Editorial People Supplier News Equipment Showcase: Caps and closures Buyers Mart Classified Ads Index of Advertisers Inside Perspective
Ingredient Technology Ethnic flavors are mainstream
30
Wellness Watch Formulating for children
34
Culturally Speaking Cultured dairy in the school lunch
REPORTS
69
Dippin’ Dots At its 120,000-square-foot facility in Paducah, Ky., Dippin’ Dots produces more than 40 varieties of ice cream, ice cream cakes, sherbet and flavored ice. In May, it launches frozen yogurt dots for franchisee and foodservice accounts. Long a favorite snack in sports arenas, the ice cream is now sold at retail.
84 Behind The Scenes 88 Labeling 94 Beyond The Filler
Kosher Pareve Gelatin for Dairy Applications A special advertising supplement by Geliko LLC begins after page 11.
Nigel Kirtley of Kraft Foods meets the challenge of sodium reduction. DAIRY FOODS Volume 112, Issue 5 (ISSN 0888-0050) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media II, L.L.C., 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $178.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $216.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $228.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2011, by BNP Media II, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: DAIRY FOODS, P.O. Box 2144, Skokie, IL 60076. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to DAIRY FOODS, P.O. Box 2144, Skokie, IL 60076. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns (Canada) to Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. For single copies or back issues: contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
413
INGREDIENTS G S PACKAGING, PROCESSING AND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS FOR THE GLOBAL DAIRY INDUSTRY The International Dairy Show is THE place to keep up-to-date on the latest consumer flavor trends. You’ll discover new seasonings, flavorings and ingredients, along with innovative packaging, that will bring your products to life on the shelf. If you’re looking for that next great product concept, come to Atlanta in September for an unequalled opportunity to taste the trends and talk to the suppliers who can help spice up your sales. Everyone who has a stake in dairy and food processing will benefit from the fresh ideas and innovations that make the International Dairy Show the best thing since sliced cheese.
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From the Editor’s Desk
Dairy Cleans Up airy processors and the foods they make have a pretty good reputation for safety and cleanliness. Aside from news articles about illness traced to consumption of raw milk, recalls of pasteurized fluid milk are not common. Drinking raw milk can be dangerous, especially when the product is mishandled by the purchaser. Consumer concerns about food safety are real, and every food manufacturer needs to address these worries. The news last month about the adverse effects of pesticides in foods must have given food processors and retailers pause. In case you missed it, three new studies concluded that pesticides used in food production and around the house might affect the brains of babies whose mothers were exposed to the chemicals during pregnancy. The study revealed that the most exposed children showed a seven-point-lower IQ than children who were least exposed. Some researchers said the harmful effects of pesticides were similar to lead poisoning. Consumers are also worried about adverse effects of artificial food colorings, although the Food and Drug Administration (by an 8 to 6 ruling) said warning labels are not needed. What can dairy processors do? Start with clean ingredients, for one thing. Processors know that consumers like milk from cows not given the bovine growth hormone rBST. So they state their use of rBST-free milk on milk, cheese and yogurt packaging. Last month the Organic Trade Association said sales of organic dairy products grew 9% from 2009 to 2010 (to $3.9 billion), and captured nearly 6% of the total U.S. market for dairy products. Sales of organic fruits and vegetables grew the most, 11.8%. Consumers will pay for organically produced foods. The share of market is small, but the point is that sales are growing. Clean food starts with the raw material and carries through to production. But that’s hardly the end. Processors and distributors have to transport food safely to warehouses and retail locations, where it must be handled properly. The final link
D
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
Jim Carper
is the consumer who must be schooled on safe-handling practices in the home. Good manufacturing practices Dairy processors do operate clean plants. At the Wisconsin Cheese Industry Conference in La Crosse, Wis., a speaker said food safety is better than it ever has been, but inspectors are also getting better. The bar is rising and plant managers need to know best practices.
Pure, unadulterated milk Personally, I like my yogurt plain. It’s full of naturally occurring protein, calcium and vitamins. I wonder why others opt for yogurt filled with sugar and fruit. Why would someone choose a perfectly healthy, natural food that’s junked up with additives? It makes me think of the Wisconsin Dells, a beautiful natural area that is overdeveloped with motels, outlet malls, go-cart tracks and waterparks.
Clean ingredients. Clean facilities. Clean labels. This is your business. These are stories for you to tell. “Food safety should not be a competitive advantage,” said one speaker, who encouraged plant managers to share their knowledge. Representatives from the Global Food Safety Initiative talked about why GFSI certification is important, not only from a food-safety perspective, but also from a business point of view. Retailers want assurances that food manufacturing facilities are up to snuff. Plants are audited constantly; one manager said he averages more than one inspection a month. If retailers and other stakeholders could get behind one certification standard, if would simplify matters for dairy processors. I heard that parties are working toward this. The Food Safety Modernization Act now gives the Food and Drug Administration the power to issue a food recall. Previously, the FDA could only encourage manufacturers to recall unsafe foods. At the conference, I heard the story of a cheesemaker who (prior to enactment of the FSMA) refused to recall cheese contaminated with E.coli. Rather than cooperate with the FDA, the processor dug in its heels. The FDA responded by ordering a full-scale investigation of the plant, where it found dozens of unsafe practices. Conference speakers talked about the importance of developing a cooperative (not combative) relationship with the FDA. Use that relationship to educate FDA inspectors.
Some people can’t leave well enough alone. They cannot enjoy nature without a nearby Ye Olde Fudge Shoppe. Others cannot enjoy yogurt without fruit on the bottom and whoknows-what-else. Chacun à son gout. Besides clean ingredients and good manufacturing practices, a processor needs marketing. To sell cheese, you need taste and a story, says H. Hulst, an executive with Cono Kaasmakers (cheesemakers), a Netherlandsbased dairy cooperative that sells its cheese in the United States under the Beemster brand. Part of Cono’s story is its ethical treatment of dairy cows, says Hulst, who was a featured speaker at the Wisconsin cheese conference. The co-op pays a premium to farmers who graze their cows outdoors. (That scores points with the ethical-treatment-ofanimals crowd.) Another part of the story is the sweetness of the grass the cows eat. Hulst said he believes the composition of the soil in the polders (reclaimed marshland) gives the grass a better taste, and hence the milk. The polder is a UNESCO World Heritage site. If my product was linked to such a site, I’d include that in my story. Wouldn’t you? Clean ingredients. Clean facilities. Clean labels. This is your business. These are stories for you to tell. Jim Carper is chief editor of Dairy Foods. Phone: 847-405-4009. Email:
[email protected].
News & Trends
NEWSLINE... Milk Pricing Arguments Get Frothy ith Congress scheduled to take up a farm bill in 2012, milk producers and processors have ramped up their calls to reform pricing policies. The white papers (and rebuttals) started circulating last autumn. This year, the battle of ideas kicked into a higher gear. In her keynote address at the Dairy Forum in January, International Dairy Foods Association president and CEO Connie Tipton said, “We steadfastly continue to believe that dairy policies and programs should be consistent with enhancing demand rather than controlling prices and supply.” Then in April, IDFA’s three constituent organizations (the Milk Industry Foundation, the National Cheese Institute and the International Ice Cream Association) voted to support its dairy policy reform recommendations and to oppose the National Milk Producers Federation’s dairy policy package. “IDFA’s plan offers an alternative path forward that would not limit milk supply through a new mandatory government program, and will give dairy farmers the tools they need to manage volatility,” Tipton said. NMPF, Washington, D.C., represents the dairy farming community. Its Foundation for the Future is a “multi-faceted approach” that would replace “existing federal safety
W
net programs with a new Dairy Producer Margin Protection Program to protect against both severe and unsustainable loss of margin; establish a Dairy Market Stabilization Program to help address imbalances that can negatively impact producer margins and reform the Federal Milk Marketing Order system,” said the organization’s Christopher Galen, senior vice president for communications. The U.S. and global economic collapse of 2008 and 2009 pushed milk pricing issues to the fore. Farmers’ costs for producing milk exceeded the price they could get for it. While prices have improved since then, both NMPF and IDFA agree that volatility is here to stay and that producers need to be protected. IDFA is pushing risk insurance as a solution and NMPF proposes a margin insurance program. A meeting of the minds In January 2010, agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack appointed 17 members from the producing and processing communities to the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee to review the issues of farm milk price volatility and dairy farmer profitability. In March 2011, the committee submitted its report containing 23 recommendations, most of which received widespread (in some cases unanimous) support from committee members.
Two Perspectives The International Dairy Foods Association would: • Replace the Dairy Product Price Support Program (DPPSP) and Dairy Export Incentive Program (DEIP) with better risk management tools for producers. • Strengthen dairy risk management tools, including forward contracting, the Livestock Gross Margin-Dairy program, catastrophic margin insurance for all dairy farmers and taxdeferred farm savings accounts. • Simplify the Federal Milk Marketing Orders program. The National Milk Producers Federation’s Foundation for the Future would: • Replace existing federal dairy support programs. • Introduce a new margin protection program to protect producer equity. • Reform milk pricing regulations set by the Federal Milk Marketing Order System. • Implement a stabilization program to address market imbalances. Sources: International Dairy Foods Association, National Milk Producers Federation
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
But the most contentious of the recommendations was the one calling for a growth management program. It passed nine to eight, with every processor member voting against it. DIAC’s report stated the committee “is not prepared to endorse a specific plan, however, we agree that a primary challenge in taming milk price volatility is to better coordinate milk marketings with milk usage over time. We do not agree on whether this should be a public or a private endeavor.” The report states: “The most compelling justification for a federal program to help the dairy industry better align milk production growth with growth in demand is that experience has amply demonstrated that, in the short run, milk prices can rise or fall dramatically when supply and demand are not aligned. Hence, if we could anticipate periods of excess supply, we might avoid or minimize the resulting drop in prices.” But the report also acknowledges: “For some, a federally mandated effort to intervene in the individual production decisions of a farm business is categorically unappealing or unacceptable. Other critics have concerns that a federal program would be very difficult to run efficiently and effectively.” Reforming the milk orders IDFA and NMPF agree that the Federal Milk Marketing Orders needs reforming. Rather than end the FMMO, NMPF said it wants to “mend” it by shrinking class prices from four to two, and eliminating the concept of end-product pricing for milk in manufactured products. IDFA would like to see the Livestock Gross Margin-Dairy (LGM-Dairy) program be made more accessible with higher funding limits. Few farmers participate in LGMDairy because they are not encouraged to do so, IDFA said. Whether a bill gets written in 2012 remains to be seen. Some observers say that next year’s presidential election campaigning could divert attention away from a farm bill. In that case, look to 2013. — Jim Carper, chief editor
News & Trends
Dairy Brands Turn to Bunnies, Laughing Cows and Baseball The Nesquik bunny will be hopping onto housewares by the end of the year. Nestlé Glendale, Calif., signed a licensing agreement with Evriholder Products, Anaheim, Calif. The deal covers licensing in the United States and its territories. Laurelle Widgerow, an assistant marketing manager with Evriholder, told Dairy Foods that specific products and number of SKUs have not yet been determined. The licensing group’s strength is in the food-storage category, she said, especially with sandwich containers and thermoses. Widgerow says the items are expected to roll out in the supermarket channel the third or fourth quarters of this year. The licensed products will be merchandised on clip strips and on counter and floor displays near Nesquik-flavored milk powder, syrup and ready-todrink products. Evriholder develops and manages licensed products for other food brands, including Campbell’s, Kellogg’s and Pepperidge Farm. The Laughing Cow, a unit of Bel Brands USA, Elk Grove Village, Ill., announced in April that it will donate at least $250,000 and as much Look for the Nesquik bunny to appear on housewares later this year.
as $500,000 to support health and wellness initiatives at YMCAs throughout the United States. The brand launched the Life Well Laughed Project on April 1; it runs through July 15. Laughing Cow will donate $1 for each UPC code from Laughing Cow cheese wedges or Mini Babybel cheese entered at www.LifeWellLaughed.com. The company positions the individually wrapped cheeses as portion-controlled snacks. BelBrands USA is a subsidiary of Fromageries Bel, Paris. Fans of minor league baseball and Kraft Singles American cheese can double their fun this summer. The Tuesday The Laughing Cow Night Tickets promotion delivers one announced its Life Well free ticket with the purchase of a ticket Laughed project in freeand the redemption of any Kraft Singles standing inserts. package wrapper at the box office. The plastic wrappers are collected by TerraCycle and made into consumer products. This is the third season of the promotion by Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill. It said that in 2010, wrapper redemption increased 43% compared to 2009. The promotion runs through Sept. 6. Continued on page 12
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WA S H I N G TO N WATC H
News & Trends
IDFA CEO Expresses Concerns over New Dairy Import Tax Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, D.C., expressed concerns about the impact Tipton that the implementation of controversial new assessments on dairy imports will have on trade. “We trade with more than 150 countries and continually advocate for open markets and trade policies that comply with international laws,” Tipton says. “This international tax does not help expand our U.S. dairy export markets and has been widely opposed by our trading partners.” The Obama administration reversed a Bush administration decision when the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., announced the final rule on the establishment of a dairy im-
port assessment. The program was first authorized in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) and later amended in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill), with clear instructions from Congress that the program was not to be implemented if it did not comply with U.S. trade obligations. “With this decision by USDA, we are concerned about how other countries will respond to our dairy exports once they become aware of the extra administrative burden and cost with limited or no benefits,” says Tipton. U S DA will now collect 7.5 cents per hundredweight on imported dairy products and other foods with dairy ingredients, including cocoas and dough. The money collected by the government will be turned over to an advertising and promotion program
currently operated and funded by U.S. dairy farmers. The new rule stipulates that, because importers are adding funding to the program, USDA will require U.S. dairy producers and importers to jointly develop programs to build demand for imported dairy products and dairy ingredients. “It’s unclear to us why dairy producers are willing to promote dairy imports at a time when U.S. dairy imports are declining and our U.S. exports are growing,” says Tipton.
Continued on page 14
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
KOSHER
CREATIVELY
A SUPPLEMENT TO
BY DONNA BERRY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT EDITOR, DAIRY FOODS
Increased consumer interest in kosher foods drives suppliers to scale-up kosher production of specialty ingredients, such as beef gelatin, an ingredient long sought by product developers.
Photo courtesy of Chick-fil-A
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rompted by concerns for health, quality and safety, Americans of all races and creed are turning to kosher foods, as such products have gained the reputation of being more carefully produced, thoroughly inspected and fully traceable. Further, due to clear labeling practices of kosher food, consumers who
have food sensitivities or allergies to certain ingredients are relying on this market to monitor their diets.
THE KOSHER CONSUMER In a consumer survey of adults who purchase kosher food, Chicago-based market research firm Mintel found that the numberone reason people buy kosher is for food quality (62%). The sec-
son ond most common reason ness is general healthfulness (51%) and the third is food rasts safety (34%). This contrasts sharply to the just 14% of respondents who say theyy puruse they chase kosher food because us rules. follow kosher religious Another 10% buy kosherr because they follow some other religious rules with eating restrictions similar to kosher.
With these beliefs, it’s no wonder dollar sales of kosher foods are projected to more than
www.geliko.com • Creatively Kosher
1
double from 2003 ($7.6 billion) to 2013 ($17 billion), according to Mintel. “Consumers are happy when they can clearly see what they are going to get,” said Marcia Mogelonsky, senior research analyst for Mintel. “With recent food safety scares causing people to rethink even the most familiar food products, we can expect more adults to turn to kosher food as a way to ensure food safety and quality.
“Vegetarians and healthconscious consumers are also inf luencing the kosher sales numbers,” she says. “There is a major opportunity for kosher manufacturers to build sales within this category. This category is positioned to build, specifically as sales of organic and health-oriented foods continue to rise. Due to increased awareness of food safety and preparation procedures, more consumers feel that specific ko-
sher products are more healthful than their mainstream, non-kosher counterparts.” Rabbi Dovid Jenkins, a rabbinic coordinator with the Orthodox Union (OU), New York, the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency, explains that part of the appeal of kosher is the strict guidelines kosher manufacturers must follow to ensure cleanliness, purity of ingredients and safety.
“Kosher food manufacturing is supervised by a rabbi and includes examination of all ingredients as well as processing and packaging equipment,” he says. “The OU’s standards are extremely rigorous. In fact, a food can be denied kosher certification when a single non-kosher ingredient is present, even if that ingredient is only one-tenth of one percent of the whole product. “In order for a food, beverage or supplement to be OU-
GELATIN FUNCTIONALITIES
USAGE LEVEL*
BEVERAGE
Juice
Removal of turbidity; brilliant clear
0.002% to 0.015%
Smoothie
Provides smooth mouthfeel; thickener
1.0% to 10.0%
Wine W
Removal of turbidity and tannins
0.002% to 0.015%
Gummy candy W
Provides smooth texture and mouthfeel; has a delicate chew; thermoreversible gel melts in the mouth; excellent clarity; neutral color and taste; assists in flavor release
5.0% to 9.0%
Marshmallow
High-degree of gel firmness; good foam formation and stabilization; thermoreversible gel melts in the mouth
1.5% to 2.5%
Nougat
Good foam formation and stabilization; thermoreversible gel melts in the mouth
0.2% to 2.0%
Ice cream W
Binds water; controls size and distribution of ice crystals; stabilizes overrun
0.1% to 1.0%
Yogurt
Binds water; prevents syneresis; contributes to slippery mouthfeel
0.2% to 1.0%
Gelatin W
Thermoreversible gel melts in the mouth; excellent clarity; neutral color and taste; assists in flavor release
1.5% to 2.5%
Mousse/pudding
Good foam formation and stabilization; thermoreversible gel melts in the mouth; prevents syneresis
0.5% to 2.0%
Aspic
Gelling agent
1.0% to 5.0%
Low-fat luncheon meat
Water-binding; fat replacement
1.0% to 5.0%
Sausage W
Coating; adhesive agent
MEAT
DESSERT
DAIRY
APPLICATION
CONFECTION
KOSHER GELATIN APPLICATIONS
1.0% to 5.0% * Usage level is dependent on grade of gelatin and desired texture in final product.
Gummy Candy photo courtesy of National Starch. Yogurt photo courtesy of Angela McKeller. Gelatin photo courtesy of Superfos. Sausage photo courtesy of Linkery.
2
Creatively Kosher • Geliko Kosher Gelatines
GELATIN — AN IRREPLACEABLE HYDROCOLLOID G
certified kosher, all of the ingredients must be OU-certified,” he adds. “Our clients have told us that the OU symbol gives them a competitive edge in the crowded marketplace. The cost of kosher certification is minimal when compared to the return on investment, as some products have experienced as much as a 65% increase in sales after certification.” The impressive aforementioned data are driving many food manufacturers to revisit product formulations that do not qualify for OU-certified kosher. In many instances, there might be only one ingredient preventing a fi nished product from being certified kosher. When the food was originally formulated, a kosher version of that ingredient may not have been available. Today, suppliers that anticipated the boom in kosher foods have identified processing technologies to industrialize production of kosher specialty ingredients. One such company is New York-based Geliko LLC, a global leader of OU-certified kosher gelatin and gelatin hydrolysate.
KOSHER GELATIN DEBUTS Product developers know that no single ingredient can replace the functional characteristics
G Globally recognized as a safe and highly functional natural ingredient, gelatin has been used for centuries as a means to gel and thicken foodstuffs. (See chart for key applications and functionalities.) ri Gelatin ingredients are made from the connective tissue of mammals. Connective tissue, also called collagen, is the structural protein found in bones and skin. Commercially available edible gelatin is 84% co to 90% protein, 8% to 12% water and 2% to 4% mineral salts. As an ingredient, gelatin is characterized as a hydrocolloid, a term that refers to a range of polysaccharides and proteins that emulsify, foam, gel, stabilize, thicken, inhibit ice crystal formation and even control the release of flavors. Their primary function — binding water — is alluded to in the name, where the prefix “hydro” means water and “colloid” means a gelatinous substance. Hydrocolloids do not lower water activity, so they do not have an effect on microbial activity, but they have a huge impact on texture and stability. Almost all processed foods rely on one or more hydrocolloids. “Some hydrocolloids, such as Geliko Kosher Gelatin, form thermoreversible gels, where gelation occurs after the hydrocolloid dissolves in solution and is cooled. When heat is applied, the gel melts or dissolves. This is best exemplified by gelatin dessert, which melts in the mouth at body temperature,” says McKibbin. Gelatin is tested and graded according to the strength of the gel it produces upon dissolution in water. The grade is based on the Bloom Test, with the more rigid the sample, the higher the Bloom number and grade. The Bloom number of commercially available edible gelatins is between 80 and 280. “There are other hydrocolloids that form non-thermoreversible gels. In other words, once the gel is formed, there is no going back to liquid form,” says McKibbin. “Some hydrocolloids form no gel at all, such as Geliko Kosher Gelatin Hydrolysate. These hydrocolloids are excellent binders and thickeners.” Gelatin hydrolysate is produced from the same raw materials as gelatin, and has the same regulatory status and nutritional value. The differences occur during processing. “Whereas gelatin is obtained by the partial enzymatic hydrolysis of collagen, gelatin hydrolysate results from the complete enzymatic hydrolysis of collagen,” says McKibbin. “The end result is an ingredient with different application and functionality.” In addition to extensive use in the food and beverage industries, gelatin ingredients have a long history in the pharmaceutical industry, as gelatin encapsulates and protects a variety of prescription and over-the-counter capsules. Further, select gelatin ingredients are now being used in the cosmetics industry in products that claim to protect skin, hair and more. And, research suggests that gelatin ingredients, in particular gelatin hydrolysate, when consumed orally, can help treat bone and joint discomfort.
of beef gelatin. (See sidebar on gelatin’s functional attributes.) Yet, many have historically foregone use of this label-friendly ingredient in order for a product to be OU-kosher certified, as the ingredient was not available. With industrial-scale commercial production now underway for Geliko, product developers no longer need to compromise quality for OU certification. “We believe kosher gelatin was the piece of the puzzle preventing many products from being OU certified,” says Zach Rubin, president and CEO of Geliko.
Rubin explains that gelatin is derived from collagen, a substance found in the skins and bones of animals. “Standard beef gelatin is produced from the trimmings and splits of cattle purchased in bulk from leather processors. To make our
kosher gelatin, we source the entire hide from cattle that has been slaughtered and certified kosher following the strictest kosher guidelines.” “Purchasing the entire hide ensures full traceability and eliminates the chance of non-
The Orthodox Union was founded in 1898 and today is the world’s largest, most respected kosher certification agency. The agency certifies more than a half million products from around 4,500 manufacturers produced in nearly 9,000 plants in 83 countries. The OU symbol is one of the world’s best-known trademarks.
www.geliko.com • Creatively Kosher
3
KOSHER PAREVE GELATIN FOR DAIRY APPLICATIONS Kosher laws are very strict concerning the segregation of milk and meat; thus, one might wonder how gelatin derived from cattle can be used in dairy products. The good news is that it can, as a result of the unique full-hide sourcing of kosher ritually slaughtered cattle by Geliko. “The process renders the hides pareve, which means the OU kosher gelatin can be used in OU kosher dairy products,” says Rabbi Jenkins. What is pareve? Foods that do not contain either meat or dairy ingredients are termed pareve, which indicates a neutral state. All fruits, grains and vegetables in their natural state are kosher and pareve. A pareve item becomes kosher dairy or kosher meat when it is cooked together with dairy or meat, respectively. This is important because of the waiting period kosher law requires between consuming certain food items. For most orthodox Jews, one cannot consume dairy until six hours after eating meat; however, on the reverse, meat can be consumed about an hour after eating dairy. With hard cheese the wait is about two hours. It all has to do with food residue and aftertaste in the palate. Highly functional ingredient Gelatin’s functionality in many dairy products is irreplaceable. Now with OU kosher gelatin, processors can switch gelatins and apply for OU certification. In yogurt, the star of today’s dairy case, gelatin stabilizes the creamy mixture by interacting with the gel formed by the casein curd. This prevents syneresis and at the same time provides lubricity to the yogurt’s mouthfeel. The latter is a particularly useful attribute in low-fat and nonfat yogurts. The same is true with sour cream. Ice cream and other frozen dairy desserts benefit from gelatin’s ability to interact with overrun (air) that is whipped into these products prior to freezing. Gelatin stabilizes the matrix, immobilizing free water and slowing undesirable ice crystal formation that often develops during freeze-thaw situations. In processed cheese and cheese spreads, gelatin acts as an emulsifier and water binder. This contributes to a creamy mouthfeel and improved spreadability. With low-fat and nonfat cottage cheese a little bit of gelatin in the dressing will thicken the product, adding body without adding fat. Ready-to-eat aerated dairy desserts such as mousse and pudding rely on gelatin for form stabilization. Gelatin also contributes a rich, creamy mouthfeel, which allows for a fat reduction in the final product.
kosher hides from entering our gelatin manufacturing process,” says Rubin. “Whole hides are much more expensive than hide trimmings or splits. Some dairies and other food manufacturers are fi nding they can manage costs by sourcing the gelatin directly from us instead of going through a blender. They appreciate the value of OU kosher certified gelatin.”
MODERN MANUFACTURING Gelita, the world’s largest gelatin producer, is contract manufacturing Geliko’s kosher gelatin product line. The pro-
4
cess employed renders the gelatin ingredients pareve, which means that even kosher ice cream can be made with kosher beef gelatin. Gelita starts by thorough cleaning and pre-treatment of the kosher cattle hides with an alkali process followed by an acid treatment, which renders the collagen soluble in warm water. After rinsing, gelatin is
extracted from the raw materials using a continuous or a multi-stage extraction process. High-performance separators concentrate and purify the gelatin, which is then sterilized and extruded through perforated disks to form “noodles.” The gelatin noodles are dried, coarsely ground and placed in quarantine for quality control testing.
Photo courtesy of Vitamix
“Only when comprehensive physical, chemical and biological testing has been completed is the product released for further processing, which includes granulation into specific particle size,” says Mindi McKibbin, specialist-edible technical services at Gelita. “All phases of manufacturing, from raw material sourcing, processing, production and packaging are meticulously monitored by Geliko, Gelita and the OU to ensure consistently high quality, safe and completely traceable OU kosher gelatin ingredients. “The kosher gelatin ingredients have the same functionality in food applications as the standard versions, which means product reformulating is not necessary,” McKibbin concludes. “There are foods, beverages and supplements in the marketplace today where gelatin is the only ingredient preventing OU-kosher certification. Now there’s nothing holding them back.”
Geliko LLC, New York, is the global leader in OU kosher gelatin and gelatin hydrolysate produced from kosher cattle hides. Geliko Kosher Gelatin products are distributed by FIT Technologies, Miami, and Gelita USA, Sioux City, Iowa. For more information, visit www.geliko.com, or call Geliko’s President and CEO Zach Rubin at (212) 876-5620.
Creatively Kosher • Geliko Kosher Gelatines
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The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) consumers and your dairy signed into law in January by President Obama called their FULL potential! for a more consumer-friendly recall search engine. That’s why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Washington, D.C., introduced a consumer-friendly website that enables Americans to search for food and other product recalls easier and quicker. The search results provide data from news releases and other recall announcements in the form of a table, which organizes information from news releases on recalls since 2009 by date, product brand name, product description, reason for the recall and the recalling firm. The table also provides a link to the news release on each recall for more detailed information. The new display provides links in a scroll-down format. Under FSMA, FDA was required to provide a consumer-friendly recall search engine within 90 days after the law went into effect. Further, for recalls conducted under FSMA, it requires FDA to indicate whether the recall is ongoing or completed. The status information will be provided for those recalls for which FDA either ordered a mandatory recall or provided the opportunity for a voluntary recall under FDA’s FSMA authority. “The new search page not only provides consumers with an easy-to-read table of information on products they are searching for, it also represents the delivery of one of the first major actions called for under the Food Safety Modernization Act,” says Mike Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods. “That delivery is on time and right on target, and we appreciate the involvement of stakeholders.”
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Upstate Niagara, Hiland, Others Win Awards for Innovative Products The Milk & Cultured Dairy Products Symposium, which was hosted by the International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, D.C., and took place March 21-23 in Rosemont, Ill., handed out several awards for most innovative products.
14
Dairy Foods | May 2011
In the most innovative cultured dairy product category, for instance, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Buffalo, N.Y., won first place for its all-natural vanilla yogurt parfait pumps. Meanwhile, Hiland Dairy Co.,
News & Trends
Springfield, Mo., won for its cottage cheese snack cups; Prairie Farms Dairy, Carlinville, Ill., was named for its low-fat cottage cheese snack cups; and Old Home Foods, New Brighton, Minn., won for its lowsodium cottage cheese. California Custom Fruits and Flavors, Irwindale, Calif., place first in the most innovative milk and cultured dairy prototype flavor category for its orange carrot cranberry fruit and vegetable yogurt. Upstate Niagara Cooperative came in second for its intense low-fat lemon lime milk. Donna Berry, Dairy Foods’ product development editor, presented the awards alongside Tic Gums, White Marsh, Md., the sponsor of the event.
satiety lower calorie
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(Left to right): Donna Berry (Dairy Foods), Donna Klockeman (Tic Gums Inc.), Earl Christiansen (Upstate Niagara Cooperative), David Rambo (California Custom Fruits and Flavors), Eva Balazs (Upstate Niagara Cooperative) and James Gregg (Tic Gums Inc.)
AMPI Reports Sales Growth Some Midwest farmers received good news regarding sales figures. According to the Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI), a Bloomington, Minn.-based dairy marketing cooperative owned by 3,000 dairy producers, sales growth continued in 2010. For instance, sales of packaged and processed cheese grew 5%, while butter sales increased by 7%. Other areas of increased product sales included pudding and cheese sauce (10%) and ice cream mix (19%). AMPI processes milk, manufactures dairy products and packages them for customers at 12 plants throughout the Upper Midwest. The industry saw increased global demand for dairy proteins, which led to improved milk prices following the depressed markets of 2009. AMPI sold more than 28% of its powdered dairy products internationally. IFT Booth #2737 However, despite strong sales and profitable operations, a year-end market drop devalued product inventory and resulted in a $1.5 million loss for the cooperative. AMPI members still shared $12.9 million from the previous year’s earnings and member equity.
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Story continued on page 17
News & Trends
PEOPLE Agro Farma, Norwich, N.Y. Francoise Mattice has been appointed chief financial officer, responsible for leading the company’s strategic priorities for growth while collaborating closely with operations to accelerate the performance of current and future initiatives. Thiel Cheese & Ingredients, Hilbert, Wis. Gary Kerrigan has joined as vice president, operations. Previously, he held senior management and R&D positions with Dairy Farmers of Americ a and Kraft Foods. Sargento Foods Inc., Plymouth, Wis. Brian Riesterer has been named senior research scientist, responsible for managing the development of value-added products, including sauces and processed foods. Previously, he
served as the R&D manager at Thiel Cheese & Ingredients and as an associate researcher for the Center for Dairy. Moobella Inc., Taunton, Mass. Karl Winkler has been named vice president of engineering, responsible for directing the research, design and development of MooBella’s innovative foodservice ice cream machines. Friendly Ice Cream, Wilbraham, Mass. Andrea McKenna has been named vice president, marketing and chief marketing officer, succeeding Skip Wheldon, who resigned in March. Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Madison, Wis. David Moore has been named a regional marketing manager, Southwest, while Matt Nolan holds the same position for the North Atlantic. Both will work with
a wide variety of retail and foodservice accounts, including specialty and grocery stores, distributors, restaurants and chefs to build usage of Wisconsin cheese in their businesses. International Food Network, Ithaca, N.Y. Gilbert Leveille, John Ruff, Pamela King and Harry Messina have been added to the newly formed advisory board. Leveille is a renowned industry figure and is past president of the Institute of Food Technologists and the American Society of Nutrition. Ruff retired in 2008 from a 36-year career with Kraft Foods, and has led research programs in sugar and salt substitutes, food safety initiatives and “greenfield” site startups. He recently served on the Institute of Medicine committee on strategies to reduce sodium intake. King served for 26 years in various financial management positions at Kraft Foods, retiring in 2009 as senior vice
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
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News & Trends Story continued from page 15
PEOPLE president and corporate controller, responsible for more than $40 billion in revenue and $67 billion in assets. Messina, an attorney and partner in the business and finance department of Woods Oviatt Gilman, has served as IFN’s legal counsel since 1990. Wild Flavors International GmbH, Zug, Switzerland Cosimo Trimigliozzi was appointed chief operating officer of the newly formed business unit of the Wild Flavors GmbH, which has been created in addition to the two existing operating business units. Trimigliozzi joins Wild after a 24-year career at Roche and Givaudan, where he held various responsibilities, including assignments in the United St ates, Asia Pacific and Switzerland.
“We stepped up our policy-making efforts this past year, urging lawmakers to enact legislation that would decrease milk price volatility and increase dairy farmer profitability,” says AMPI chairman of the board, Paul Toft. In 2010, AMPI also produced 6 billion pounds of milk, invested in the cooperative’s manufacturing network, upgraded whey drying, cheese processing and butter packaging equipment and served customers such as McDonalds, Sysco and Aldi, who continue to rely on AMPI to make the product marketed under their label. Additionally, more than half of the cooperative’s $1.7 billion in sales came from consumer-packaged dairy products.
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Wixon Inc., St. Francis, Wis. AnnMarie Kraszewski has been hired as a food technologist, responsible for developing new prodKraszewski uct formulations and supporting customers in the industrial ingredients group, with a focus on snacks. She previously served as a food scientist for Kerry Ingredients & Flavours. Palmer Wahl Instrumentation Group, Asheville, N.C. Victor Garza will be managing the Monterrey, Mexico, international sales office, designed to serve the needs of the Mexican and South American industry. Garza brings more than 10 years sales experience, a background in electronic systems engineering and first-hand knowledge of the Central and South American markets. Garza is bilingual and will be working with distributors and end users to determ i n e t h e b e s t p ro d u c t f o r t h e i r application.
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Continued on page 18 www.dairyfoods.com
17
News & Trends
B R I E F LY … Turkey Hill Dairy Powered by Wind Turkey Hill Dairy, Lancaster County, Pa., receives a quarter of its annual electricity needs from the new wind turbine power project at neighboring Frey Farm. In part-
nership with PPL Renewable Energy and Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, the Frey Farm Wind Turbine project includes two wind turbines that generate about 25% of Turkey Hill
Dairy’s annual electricity needs. That equals enough power to produce six million gallons of ice cream and 15 million gallons of iced tea each year. The turbines were installed on Oct. 28, 2010, and officially began producing power on Jan. 10. Choctal Purchased by SheerBliss Ice Cream Maker Ben Stanley Holdings, Sunrise, Fla., the owner of SheerBliss ice cream, acquired Choctal Inc., Pasadena, Calif. Choctal is best known as the originator of “single origin” chocolate and vanilla ice cream flavor profiles. Choctal will continue to operate as its own brand and be a partner brand of Ben Stanley Holdings. Founder Marc Boatwright will continue with the brand, while Gary Barron, president of Ben Stanley Holdings, will assume the role of president and CEO. Fonterra Launches Online Trading Platform for Dairies Fonterra, a farmer-owned New Zealand dairy co-operative, opened the doors to its online trading platform, globalDairyTrade, by allowing other dairy companies to sell products as well. When globalDairyTrade was launched in July 2008, it was designed so that other sellers of dairy products would eventually join the platform. Having other sellers on board will add more volume and will lead to even more reliable price discovery. Fonterra will offer milk protein concentrate (MPC) and Rennet Casein. Central Valley Fund Invests $3.5MM in Mexican-style Novelties, Ice Cream The Central Valley Fund, a Davis, Calif.based private investment fund focused on middle market Central Valley companies, invested $3.5 million in Paleteria La Michoacana, LLC, a producer, marketer and distributor of Mexican-style premium ice cream and frozen novelties. The capital will be used to support management as it continues to capitalize on growing demand across a wide variety of food and grocery retailers.
18
Dairy Foods | May 2011
News & Trends
SUPPLIER NEWS Printpack received a silver award from the Flexible Packaging Association’s 2011 Annual FPA Achievement Awards for printing excellence of its Wyman’s of Maine wild blueberry juice. The new Printpack label offers 360-degree billb oard space for b older graphics, a resized logo and more product information on eight-color flexographic printing. DCI Process Systems acquired Statco Engineering to form the largest privately owned sanitary process equipment provider/system integrator in the United States. Statco currently operates from six offices and two fabrication facilities, specializing in equipment supply, process design and project integration services. Statco also manufactures UHT-based thermal processing systems and casing equipment for the dairy industry. DSI operates from two offices and one fabrication facility, manufacturing product blending equipment for the beverage industry and integrating beverage plant process improvement initiatives. Jack Luechtefeld will continue in his role as president of DSI.
Siemens introduces Simatic PCS7, a portfolio of proven, advanced solutions designed to optimize food and beverage plant operations and maximize profit-
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Hawk Measurement purchased Fluidic Flowmeters LLC, allowing the companies to participate in the $18 billion global process measurement market. Fluidic Flowmeters’ product line will be covered under Hawk Measurement’s 24-month warranty on all applications. Intelligrated and Swisslog formed a strategic alliance to provide highly integrated material handling solutions for the food, beverage and retail markets in North America. Swisslog’s warehouse automation products and integration services will be available alongside Intelligrated’s U.S.-manufactured technologies and regional network.
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©2011 Tate & Lyle • www.tateandlyle.com
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19
New Products & Marketing
DAIRY MARKET TRENDS
Cultured Comeback Marina Mayer
Executive Editor
t used to be that cultured products were used as components of something larger — cottage cheese for casseroles, sour cream as a condiment or dips for, you guessed it, dipping. Even yogurt adds a creamy value-added touch to pastries and sweet goods. Good thing many of today’s consumers are in search of added value. That’s why the cultured category is making a comeback.
I
Yogurt leads the way According to Chicago-based SymphonyIRI Group, yogurt sales rose 8.6%, for the 52 weeks ended March 20. Chobani, produced by AgroFarma, New Berlin, N.Y., rose the most of any Top 10 brand — sales skyrocketed 223.7%, dollar share increased 4.7% and unit sales were up 212%, all thanks to its lineup of nonfat and low-fat Greek yogurt, and its newly introduced item, Chobani Champions, for children. Chobani is the fourth bestselling brand, according to SymphonyIRI. Johnstown, N.Y.-based Fage Total Greek yogurt, in seventh place, clocked in a 66.7% increase in dollar sales and an 86% increase in unit sales. Meanwhile, No. 1 Yoplait Light and No. 3 Original brands experienced an uptick in sales, with 7.8% and 0.8% respectively. Produced by General Mills, Minneapolis, sister brand Yoplait Go Gurt jumped 12% in sales, SymphonyIRI data says, due in part to its freeze-to-thaw Go Gurt selection. Sales of cream cheese collide Sales figures for the cream cheese segment outline some rollercoaster results, say SymphonyIRI data. In the brick cream cheese category, Weight Watchers International, Jericho, N.Y., garnered a 1,685.4% hike in dollar sales for its selection of point-valued offerings, followed by Yoder’s, developed by I&K Distributors, Delphos, Ohio, and Raskas, made by Schreiber Foods, Green Bay, Wis., at 72.5% and 51.1%, respectively. In SymphonyIRI’s “all other forms” category, noteworthy mentions include Mimosa (a 123.2% increase in sales); Kaukauna Connoisseur (up 110.1%), produced by Bel Brands USA, Elk Grove Village, Ill.; and Dairy Fresh whipped (up 92.2%), made by Dairy Fresh Corp., Greensboro, Ala. On the other hand, sales of some brands fell. For example, WisPride cream cheese balls (by Bel Brands USA) experienced an 85.2% decline in sales, while Smithfield all other forms, owned by C-USA/Alouette Foodservice, Hanover, Md., dipped 66.8%. Other brands displaying a drop in sales include Moondarra balls (-52.4%) from Moondarra Cheese in Australia; Clawson 20
Dairy Foods | May 2011
Quarterly Sales of Yogurt Reporting Period 13 weeks ended
Dollar Sales (millions)
% change vs. yago
Unit Sales (millions)
% change vs. yago
12/26/10
$976.6
+8.6
926.9
+4.8
9/26/10
$1,096.7
+9.9
1,041.8
+6.2
6/27/10
$1,092.3
+9.2
1,066.8
+7.1
3/28/10
$1,057.1
+5.6
1,074.0
+4.2
12/27/09
$899.6
+5.9
884.4
+7.2
$998.4
+3.5
980.9
+4.8
9/27/09
Source: SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm, www.symphonyiri.com Total U.S. – Supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers (excluding Wal-Mart)
all other forms (-51.4%), made by England-based Long Clawson Dairy Ltd.; Einstein Bros. whipped (-37%), sold by Boston-based Einstein Bros. Bagels; and J&J whipped (-20.3%) from J&J Snack Foods Corp., Pennsauken, N.J. Cottage cheese category displays curdling results It used to be that cottage cheese came in one flavor — Original. Nowadays, consumers can spice up just about any meal with, for example, cucumber dill-flavored cottage cheese. However, the category as a whole has experienced some more flavorful days. Dallas-based Daisy brand cottage cheese underwent the highest sales jump in the category, with a 15.2% hike. Private label followed with a 3% increase in sales (however, it took the No. 1 spot with $337.1 million in sales). Despite its triple-churned creamy cottage cheese options, Breakstone’s Cottage Doubles, produced by Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill., experienced a 12.9% decline in sales, while sales for Breakstone’s dipped 2.1%. Prairie Farms Dairy, Carlinville, Ill., underwent a 10.4% drop in sales. Sour cream sales go a bit sour Sales of sour cream increased 2.8%, though unit sales dropped 0.6%. Sales of No. 1 Daisy rose 11.1% and No. 9 Hood, processed by HP Hood, Lynnfield, Mass., rose 23.5%. No. 10 Kemps, produced in St. Paul, Minn., showed a 10.2% increase in sales. Sales soured for No. 5 Friendship Dairies, Friendship, N.Y., (down 16.5%), while No. 3 Breakstone’s displayed a 10.3% drop and No. 7 Knudsen (like Breakstone’s, developed by Kraft) dropped 9.3%.
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New Products & Marketing
NEW PRODUCT REVIEW Not many people can turn down a corned beef and Swiss sandwich on St. Patrick’s Day. And thanks to Finlandia, Parsippany, N.J., the Swiss on that sandwich can be lower in fat and sodium and still taste great. Just in time for the March 17 holiday, the company rolled out Finlandia Lacey Swiss, an imported, all-natural, reducedfat cheese in 5-pound loaves. This service-deli product contains no added hormones, and is naturally lactose free and a great source of calcium. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), Dallas, adults should eat two to three servings of fat-free or low-fat dairy per day. Additionally, AHA advises children to eat two or more servings and teenagers and older adults, four
servings per day. This gets easiier and tastier with innovative options such as Finlandia Lacey Swiss. From the first bite, one can taste full Swiss flavor. This is due to the fact that it is aged 60 days, more than most other low-fat cheeses on the market. La Farge, Wis.-based Organic Valley, the nation’s oldest organic farmer-owned cooperative, now offers New York Fresh milk, a locally produced milk for its consumers in the New York metropolitan region. The milk is produced on the cooperative’s family farms in the Empire State and bottled, distributed and sold in the region, ensuring fewer miles from farm to table. New York Fresh milk is available in skim, low-fat, reduced-fat and whole varieties in quart, half-gallon, gallon and a new 96-ounce size. True to the iconic Organic Valley wood-cut design, the New York Fresh cartons feature farmer-owners who produce the milk on their pastures and an introduction to their farm stories. The packaging also displays the Pride of New York logo. The milk comes from 121 local farms and is bottled at Mountainside Dairy, Roxbury, N.Y.
Inspired by the success In of o frozen kefir made for Starfruit Cafes, the foodservice venture of Lifeway Foods Inc., Morton F Grove, Ill., the comG pany is entering the p retail frozen categor ry r with a packaged frozen kefir. New f Lifeway Frozen Kefir L is i a 90-calories-perserving frozen yogurt s alternative packed a with better-for-you w bacteria. This tart, b yet y tangy frozen treat comes in one-pint c containers in four flaco vors — mango, original, pomegranate and strawberry. The original flavor is also available in a 3.6-ounce single-serve size packaged with a spoon.
NOTEWORTHY I NTROD UCTION S Velvet Ice Cream, Utica, Ohio, adds Peanut Butter Overload and French Vanilla to its Su-preme ice cream line. This peanut butter-based ice cream includes peanut butter swirls and d peanut butter cups. French Vanilla is similar to Velvet’s Olde Tyme Vanilla and includes passteurized egg for rich flavor. St. Paul, Minn.-based Old Home Foods Inc., is reducing the sodium in its cottage cheese se by one third. Taste does not change thanks to the power of the minerals in sea salt, which is what the company now uses.
22
Dairy Foods | May 2011
New Products & Marketing
“Frozen yogurt is still a strong growth segment, and our Starfruit Cafe business is riding the same wave. Our same-store sales grew nearly 50% last year, our average store ticket rose 20% and we’ve seen demand expanding from an afternoon dessert to both a breakfast and lunch meal replacement,” says Julie Smolyansky, CEO. “Taking the product to grocery stores around the country with the introduction of Lifeway Frozen Kefir is the next logical step. Now fro-yo fans can get their fix with the nutritional tritional benefits of kefir wherever ver they live and whenever they want — even when they’re at home. me.” Good things come in small mall packages. Make that small cups! ups! The Skinny Cow brand’s new 5.8-ounce singleserve, low-fat ice cream cup line contains only 150 to 170 calories and 2 to 3 grams fat, depend-ing on flavor, of which h there are five. Caramel el Cone is vanilla ice cream m with chocolate-covered ed chunks of crunchy cone and swirls of caramel. Chocolate Fudge Brownie starts with chocolate ice cream to which fudgy brownie chunks are added. Cookies ‘N Cream and C Strawberry Cheesecake taste like the classic American cl desserts, while de Dulce de Leche Du appeals to ap Hispanic taste Hi buds. bud It is caramel-f me lavored vored ice cream loaded with lay layers off rich caramel. The suggested re retail price rice is $1.49 per cup, but can often be found und on sale for a dollar. The Skinny Cow line is produced by Dreyer’ss Grand Ice Cream Inc., Oakland, Calif., a division of Nestlé USA, Glendale, Calif., which is owned by Nestlé S.A. of Vevey, Switzerland. The Icelandic Milk & Skyr Corp., New York, expands its
siggi’s brand with small and simple drinkable yogurts that are a concentrated source of the oldest and best-known probiotic culture: Lactobacillus acidophilus. “Since 2005, siggi’s has been committed to making skyr, an Icelandic-style, all-natural yogurt with a short and simple ingredient list containing five strains of live active cultures,” says Siggi Hilmarsson, CEO. The drinkable yogurt comes in blueberry, plain and strawberry flavors. Available in four-packs
of 3.7 fluid-ounce bottles, the product debuts nationwide this month and has a suggested retail price of $4.99. Subscribe to Dairy Product Innovations (www.dairyfoods.com/dpi), an e-newsletter focused on new dairy products and new products and services from dairy industry suppliers. Subscribers receive Dairy Product Innovations monthly with the occasional special installation or themed issue focusing on specific niches such as artisan cheese or organic and natural foods. To subscribe, visit www.dairyfoods.com.
I N T E R N AT I O N A L In the United St ates, fiber claims have increased within the dairy category, but for the most part have been limited to cultured products, primarily yogurt. In other parts of the world, fiber has made its way into fluid milk. In Italy, Parmalat sells Fibresse Milk as part of its “Well Being Milk” line. This fiber variant is designed to help with intestinal function — a benefit that is described in detail on the package. Poland’s Bakoma Milkus chose the increasingly popular flexible stand-up pouch for its new drinkable launch: Chocolate Milky Dessert. Desse Though this chilled drink is nothing more than t simple chocolate milk, the product name and a pack aging extend the t usage occasion from hydration to dessert. The 8 0-gram pouch offers key benefits to parents — portability because of the single-serve format and reusability because of the screw cap — but the “squishable” nature of the package makes it appealing to children. Bright Dairy in China recently launched a kidoriented cheese product. This chilled treat appears to be a hybrid dairy product, bringing together attributes of traditional cheese, cream cheese and yogurt in a unique tub format, complete with a spoon. Flavored like fruit punch, the product can be consumed as a snack, as a spread or mixed with fruits or vegetables.
Contributed by Krista Faron, director of innovation and insights, Mintel Research Consultanc y, Global Ne w Products Database (GNPD). For more information call 312-932-0400 or visit www.gnpd.com. Continued on page 24 www.dairyfoods.com
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New Products & Marketing
NEW PRODUC FOCUS ON TEA Marketing communications firm JWT, New York, identified green tea as one of the Top 10 trends in its Food and Beverage Trends for 2011 report. According to JWT, green tea has become a functional ingredient — high in both antioxidants and caffeine — and will increasingly be seen in beverages (from lattes to cocktails) and desserts (ice cream, pastries and more). On the beverage side, a number of innovative ready-to-drink (RTD) green tea beverages are making their way into the retail channel, and more are expected ch to roll out for summer the summ months.
For example, from January to June, Lancaster County, Pa.-based Turkey Hill Dairy offered limited-edition Light Wildberry Green Tea. In July, Light Blueberry Tea will appear on store shelves. And Unilever, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is growing its refrigerated iced tea line with a 59-ounce carton of Peach Mango Green Tea. Renewal Laboratories, San Diego, recently ventured into RTD tea with the first all-natural bottled teas enhanced with omega-3 fatty acids. Sold under the Go In brand, which has the tagline of “Ingredients that Go In,” the teas are available in sweetened and unsweetened varieties. They contain high-purity fish oil, a source of the heart-healthy
CT REVIEW: omega-3s docosahexaenoic noic acid (DHA) and eicosapenntaenoic acid (EPA). Marley’s Mellow Mood is a line of relaxation teas and sodas inspired by Bob Marley, the globally recognized musician who, when jammin,’ sang about unity, freedom, peace, empowerment and love. Marley Beverage Co. was created by the family of Bob Marley, paying homage to their father and patriarch by launching and promoting a wide range of healthy, natural drinkss that contain ingredients that put people into what they call, “Marley’s Mellow Mood.” Marley Beverage Co. is manufacturing and marketing the new drinks in a joint partnership with ViVa Beverages, Southfield, Mich. RTD tea comes in two varieties — The R Green Tea with Honey and Black Gree Tea with Raspberry, Passion Fruit and Peach. P According to the company, the Ac drinks have been meticulously dri formulated with an exotic blend fo d of o all-natural botanical ingredients sourced from around the world. Chamomile, valerian s root, passionflower, melatonin, rose hips and lemon balm are among the time-tested calming and stress-reducing ingredients that the Marley family has crafted into firsti of-its-kind relaxation beverages. The cans and bottles are wrapped in signature colors — green, yellow and red — w and picture the classic Bob Marley image: relaxed, smiling and truly happy. Read more about this product on page 44. Ingredient suppliers are taking tea innovation to the next level. For example, at the recent Natural Products Expo l West, a dairy protein supplier sampled a prototype raspW berry-flavored green tea that delivered 5 grams of highb quality whey protein in an 8-ounce serving. Expect to see more innovative concepts at the IFT 11 Annual Meeting + Food Expo, June 11-14 in New Orleans.
Ingredient Technology Photo courtesy of Doehler
Beyond Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla The top three ice cream flavors are not going away, but today’s consumers have become more adventurous in all of their food choices. Donna Berry Product Development Editor
onsumers love tickling their taste buds with Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisine, so much that all three have become so mainstream, they’re hardly considered ethnic anymore, according to Chicago-based Mintel. Interestingly, when many of us think of flavors for dairy foods, we think chocolate, strawberry and vanilla…and for those of us willing to think beyond sweet applications, French onion and ranch likely come to mind. But the fact is, dairy can carry so many flavors, as the inherent mellow, creamy taste of milk and milk products complements everything from cucumber to curry. Mintel reports that even lesser-known ethnic fare has enjoyed robust product growth in recent years, as ethnic-food lovers and their palates are hungry for more exotic ingredients and flavors. In 2010 alone, Mintel’s Global New Products Database tracked a 150% increase from 2009 in new food items that contained “Caribbean” in the product description. “Japanese” product launches soared more than 230% from 2009 to 2010. Meanwhile, “Thai” product launches saw a 68% increase from 2009 to 2010. “Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisine are the more mainstream, popular ethnic cuisines,” says David Lockwood, senior analyst at Mintel. “But Thai, Caribbean and Japanese foods are seeing healthy growth, and consumers seem to be getting more comfortable with a wider variety of ethnic flavors.”
C
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
Twenty-three percent of ethnic food users say they were spurred to try them after reading cookbooks that include recipes for dishes that are popular in other countries. Additionally, 18% developed a taste for ethnic chow after travelling abroad and 25% say they were introduced to their favorite ethnic fare because they live in a diverse neighborhood where the food and ingredients are readily available. This data are supported by a presentation made by Kim Holman, a marketing director with a flavor supplier, at the Research Chefs Association conference in Atlanta. She explained that flavors marketed as extreme, adventurous and “take me away” are driving new product development in the United States. “Consumers are increasingly interested in trying new flavors,” Holman said. “This is due to a combination of factors, including a more ethnically diverse population and more frequent overseas travel.” She explains that the urbanization of America has improved consumer awareness and willingness to try ethnic cuisine. “Sometimes ethnic flavors need to be modified with a familiar taste for consumers to be willing to try it,” she says. “Sort of like when kiwi got teamed up with strawberry, or goji with blueberry.” In addition to increased use of ethnic flavors, there is a trend with two-directional crossover of savory ingredients into sweet foods and sweet ingredients into savory foods, according to Food Flavors and Ingredients Outlook 2011, the eighth edition of Continued on page 28
We look at things a little differently. Because we’re not just a flavor company, we’re your product development partner. And when that happens, anything is possible.
Ingredient Technology
Top 10 Flavors for 2011 Sweet 1. Chocolate Soufflé 2. Honey Vanilla 3. Red Velvet 4. Caramel Macchiato 5. Yumberry 6. Coconut Crème Photo courtesy of Sam’s Club 7. Sweet Potato 8. Ginger Peach 9. Mint Citrus 10. French Toast
Beverage 1. Blood Orange 2. Yumberry (*2) 3. Coconut Water (*1) 4. Maqui Berry 5. Cupuacu (*8) 6. Elderflower 7. Caramel 8. White Grape 9. Rambutan 10. Snake Fruit
Source: Bell Flavors & Fragrances
Photo courtesy of Weber Products
Savory 1. Black Garlic (*5) 2. Rich Umami (*3) 3. Truffle Oil 4. Aged Cayenne Pepper 5. Nuc Maum 6. Calamansi Lime 7. Demi Glace 8. Harissa 9. Aji Panca 10. Paneer Cheese
Photo courtesy of Cabot
* Ranking in previous year’s report.
These lists were tabulated using three methods: 1) Tracking flavor sample requests during a 12-month period; 2) Trend-scouting flavors by analysts in four continents and 3) Compiling flavor trends from external resources, market research firms, media and other credible sources. Results for sweet flavors suggest that consumers like what is familiar and find comfort in certain foods. With beverage flavors, consumers continue to be drawn to the distinctive tastes and powerful nutrients found in exotic superfruits. And finally, because many consumers are traveling more and sampling new savory flavors from around the world, there is increased desire to bring these global taste experiences home and infuse them into the daily diet. Photo courtesy of Culinary Institute of America
the annual series by market research publisher Packaged Facts, Rockville, Md. The report provides an example of the use of olive oil to extend into a wide range of desserts and sweet goods, including ice cream and gelato, cake and muffins. The report also says that when it comes to fruits and fruit flavors, expect to see more figs, pears, cherries and blackberries, along with the superfruit combination of blueberry and pomegranate. Sensory science in action Ethnic, exotic and superfruit (and vegetable) flavors are great, but some of these flavors, as well as certain functional ingredients that are now being added to dairy foods, can possess undesirable off tastes, in particular bitter. “A lot of people are very sensitive to the bitter taste of medicines, calorie-free sweeteners and certain foods,” said Ioana Ungureanu, a research scientist with a flavor company who described the concept of “bitter blockers” at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif., in March. “We’d like to be able to make their diets more enjoyable by masking the off-putting flavors of bitterness. Blocking these flavors we call off-notes could help consumers eat healthier and more varied diets.” This concept of bitter blockers is supported by a study published in the March issue of Chemical Senses. According to the paper, there is an unusually high level of variation in bitter-taste perception across people. “Just like some people are color blind, some people are taste blind and simply can’t taste bitter things that others can,” according to John Hayes, assistant professor of food science at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, State College, Pa., and lead author. “It turns out that different bitter foods act through different receptors, and people can be high or low responders for one but not another. “Those bitter tastes are sensed through different pathways,” he explained. “And this doesn’t affect just bitterness. Since bitter and sweet are in opposition in the brain, if you experience more bitter28
Dairy Foods | May 2011
Many flavor trends begin in foodservice. Ingredient suppliers track these trends and create flavorants that enable product formulators to create foods that closely mimic culinary creations.
ness from a food, you also perceive less sweetness. This means not all foods taste the same to all people.” Previous studies have shown that variations in sensing bitter taste influence people’s diet choices, and subsequently their health. For example, people who are more sensitive to bitterness eat 25% fewer vegetables, according to Hayes. While his study did not measure finicky eating, Hayes contended it still may provide new insight into pickiness. “Some people may not be acting whiny when they say they don’t like certain foods — they actually experience those foods differently,” he said. As flavorists progress with advancements in the development of bitter blockers, consumers might be able to enjoy a more diverse diet that includes better-for-you foods and flavors such as dark chocolate and green tea.
CUST M FORMULAT ONS Dairy product innovators have come to rely on ADM Cocoa for foor consistency c nsis co and quality. But what really sets us apart are the added extras you can’t get anywhere else. Like custom formulations. Our technical experts can help you create a one-of-a-kind, category-leading product your customers will crave. To find out more about how ADM’s technical expertise can give you an advantage, visit us at adm.com/ambrosia.
ADM. Chocolate…and so much more.
For customers around the world, ADM draws on its resources—its people, products, and market perspective—to help them meet today’s consumer demands and envision tomorrow’s needs. © 2011 Archer Daniels Midland Company
800-558-9958 |
[email protected] | www.adm.com
Ingredient Technology
WELLNESS WATCH Photo courtesy of Anytime Fitness
Donna Berry
Donna Berry Product Development Editor
ccording to the hot-off-the-press Packaged Facts report Kids’ Foods and Beverages in the U.S. 2011, one of the greatest opportunities in kids’ products is dairy foods designed for children’s nutritional needs and taste preferences, and marketed specifically to them as a kids’ food. The report estimates that retail sales of all types of foods for children hit the $10 billion mark at the end of 2010. This includes sales from all retail channels and reflects an increase of 25% from 2005. “The kids’ food market gained attention after the turn-of-the-century, but never really had a fair chance to gain momentum as the recession entered the picture,” says Don Montuori, vice president-publishing, Marketresearch.com, Rockville, Md. “In 2009 and 2010, a number of marketers — in particular, dairy processors — turned up the heat, and started getting aggressive in this very important food marketing segment. As a result, Packaged Facts projects that the market will grow by 40% from 2010 to 2015.
A
“Dairy products comprised just a little over one-fifth of the kids’ food market in 2010, with beverages and frozen foods in first and second place, respectively. But really, the products representative of the first two categories are kid-friendly items such as juice boxes and French toast sticks,” says Montuori. “With the dairy category, the products are ‘really’ just for kids.” Really, just for kids Recently introduced innovative dairy foods for children include Chobani Champions, the first-ever Greek yogurt made for kids. Manufactured by Agro Farma Inc., New Berlin, N.Y., Chobani Champions come in two flavors: Honey-Nana and VeryBerry. Free of preservatives, artificial flavors and milk treated with synthetic growth hormones, each serving is an excellent source of vitamin D, a good source of bone-building calcium and comes loaded with protein. Sold in four-packs, Champions are packaged in 3.5-ounce cups to better accommodate a child-size appetite.
Another example is YoBaby 3 in 1 Meals from Stonyfield Farm, Londonderry, N.H. YoBaby Meals’ are a unique combination of yogurt, fruit and vegetable purée, which helps moms give their preschoolers a trio of important food groups at every meal. Three varieties are available: Pear & Green Bean, Peach & Squash and Apple & Sweet Potato. The yogurts are also fortified with vitamin D and zinc. Last year, CFM Beverages, Atlanta, introduced Mega Moo Vitamin Milk, a three-flavor line — chocolate, strawberry and vanilla — of fortified milks designed for kids’ nutritional needs. Shelf stable for up to 250 days, these value-added milks are loaded with a daily dose of recommended vitamins. They also contain less sugar than most other flavored milks, without the addition of anything artificial. Each 8-ounce carton provides only 135 calories, making it one of the most nutrient-dense milks in today’s marketplace. In February, New Britain, Conn.-based Guida’s Milk introduced Healthy Moo for school milk programs. The initial flavors are chocolate, which contains 25% less sugar than the leading brand, and strawberry, which has 30% less sugar. Further, the new product uses 100% sugar instead of fructose sweetener. The company plans to
Healthy Moo from Guida’s Milk, New Britain, Conn., is a new flavored milk line for school milk programs. Continued on page 32
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
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Ingredient Technology
The Kids’ Dairy Products Market Yogurt Drinks/Dairy-based Smoothies/Kefir; 17.9%
Cheese; 2.6%
Milk/Flavored-milk Beverages; 41.4%
Yogurt (cups, tubes, etc.); 38.1% Source: Kids’ Foods and Beverages in the U.S. 2011, published by Packaged Facts
Dairy foods represent about one-fifth of the $10 billion kids’ food market. Milk has the largest share (41.4%), while cheese is the smallest piece of the pie (2.6%), presenting marketers with an opportunity to innovate and target this demographic.
expand to the retail market in the near future, hopefully just in time for summer vacation. Numerous kids’ dairy foods debuted at Natural Products Expo West this March, including quite a few yogurts. And it’s no wonder, as market research firm NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., identified yogurt as the No. 1 food eaten as a snack by children 2- to 17-years old.
For example, The Hain Celestial Group, Melville, N.Y., showcased Earth’s Best Organic Baby Yogurt, which is scheduled to hit retailer’s refrigerators this summer. This new whole-milk yogurt is loaded with nine live and active cultures, including probiotics, and has been formulated for a baby’s nutritional needs, with each 4-ounce cup delivering 25% of the Daily Value for calcium, vitamin D and zinc, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams protein and other important vitamins and minerals. Made with no refined sugars, the yogurt gets its sweetness from the addition of organic fruit and fruit juices. It will come in four-packs of four different varieties: Apple, Banana Mango, Peach Pear and Vanilla Prune. Right Track Global LLC, Irvine, Calif., debuted Dr. Sears Family Essentials Cool Fuel fortified, ready-to-drink shakes. Each 8-fluid-ounce serving contains 18 essential vitamins and minerals, 8 grams protein, 5 grams fiber and 100 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil. The drinks are sweetened with dried cane syrup and stevia. The protein comes from milk protein isolate, while the fiber is fructooligosaccharide. The gluten- and lactose-free shakes contain no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners and 60% less sugar than competitive brands. Varieties are: Chocolate, Chocolate Banana and Vanilla. Another company from Irvine — Orgain — manufacturers of a namesake organic ready-to-drink nutritional shake for adults, debuted a version for children appropriately called Orgain Healthy Kids. Based on the company’s proprietary organic protein blend consisting of whey protein concentrate and milk protein concentrate, the drinks also contain 10 different organic fruits (acai, apple, banana, blueberry and raspberry) and vegetables (beet, carrot, kale, spinach and tomato), as well as 25 vitamins and miner-
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
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Ingredient Technology
Cool Fuel shakes are described as “advanced nutrition for kids.”
als. The gluten-free shake delivers 8 grams protein and 2 grams fiber per 8.25-fluid-ounce serving. Nutrients kids need So what nutrients are the most appropriate for fortification of kids’ dairy foods? The answer is really almost everything, as many children have small appetites when it comes to “real” foods and they would rather fill up on nutrient-void sweets and treats. Fortification typically addresses healthy growth and development, as well as protecting against disease. For healthy bone development, children need adequate protein intake, but also sufficient levels of bone-building minerals and vitamins, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D. Adequate levels of other essential micronutrients, such as zinc, vitamin C and vitamin K, are also needed by the growing child to assure optimal skeletal health. Other important nutrients for growth include folate, vitamin B12, as well as other B vitamins, which are needed for DNA replication and red blood cell formation and iron, which bolsters immunity and protects against developing anemia. And probably the most buzz in recent years has been around omega-3 fatty acids, in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are both naturally found in certain marine oils. These fatty acids are important for visual and brain development in infants, and also play an important role in balancing the availability of anti-inflammatory signals produced by immune cells. Because children don’t tend to eat a lot of fatty fish, supplementation is important. What to avoid? New product rollouts suggest that anything artificial, in particular colors, flavors and preservatives, is taboo. The negative press surrounding food dyes is definitely being considered by formulators, as well as the use of certain sweeteners. The good news is that dairy processors start with a base — milk — that comes loaded with important nutrients for kids. In conclusion, Montuori says, “Dairy is such a natural for kids, which is likely why so many processors develop products specifically for this demographic.” The products just reviewed and others will continue to drive category growth. “The compound annual growth rate for kids’ dairy products was 11.3% from 2005 to 2010, and we project it will be near this through 2015. Drinkable cultured dairy products will experience the greatest growth, with milk and yogurt both very strong categories,” says Montuori. “There’s a lot of opportunity within the cheese segment. Kids love cheese. So why not fortify string cheese with ingredients kids need more of, such as omega-3 fatty acids, and put a cartoon character on the package?”
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Dippin’ Dots
REPORTS
he Paducah, Ky.-based company uses -320°F liquid nitrogen inside custom cryogenic processors to flash-freeze ice cream into tiny dots. Dippin’ Dots developed the flash-frozen beaded ice cream category, sold in theme parks, stadiums, mall-based kiosks and movie theater vending machines. New products include ice cream cakes and dairybased beverages. Contributing editor Cathy Sivak visits with the corporate team. Page 69.
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Labeling airy Foods convened a virtual roundtable of executives in the labeling field to discuss food safety, package clutter and equipment training. Page 88.
D
Curt Jones, founder of Dippin’ Dots, added beverages, frozen yogurt and ice cream cakes to his company’s menu.
Equipment Showcase Caps and closures. Page 96 Maintenance equipment. Page 100
Back to the Future Dippin’ Dots taps entrepreneurial roots with product launches, brand initiatives and new distribution.
Silgan
Cathy Sivak Contributing Editor
fast forward what’s coming in June… Fage USA Henry Randolph’s “Quality on the Line” Sustainable Packaging Filtration USDEC’s Tom Suber on exports
he early entrepreneurial mentality that proclaimed Dippin’ Dots “The Ice Cream of the Future” is back. Product innovation, consumer-focused branding initiatives and expanding distribution position the Paducah, Ky.-based specialty ice cream processor for a return to growth and profitability.
T
“All of the ingredients are being put together right now for that to happen. I’m as excited now as I have ever been about our potential,” says Curt Jones, founder and president. The company’s namesake core product, Dippin’ Dots, is a flash-frozen beaded ice cream widely available at theme parks, stadiums and other major entertainment Continued on page 70 www.dairyfoods.com
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Corporate Profile The Dippin’ Dots management team gathers at the counter of the Metropolis, Ill., corporate-run scoop shop (left to right): Michael Barrette, v.p. of sales; Rick Noble, director of operations; Stan Jones, director of research and development; Steve Heisner, director of administration; Curt Jones, founder and president; Mike Milner, controller; and Dana Knudsen, director of marketing and graphic design.
venue concessions as well as mall-based kiosks, events and movie theater vending machines. Jones pioneered the processing concept in 1987 when his love of homemade ice cream and a work project studying encapsulation methods for cultures dovetailed into an extracurricular experiment: use of liquid nitrogen to flash-freeze homemade ice cream mix. The resulting ice cream beads provide minimal ice crystal formation with maximum cold, creamy mouthfeel.
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
Within a year, Jones left his career as a microbiologist to launch Dippin’ Dots from a 24-foot by 24-foot garage on the Jones family farm and a Lexington, Ky., storefront. Created in -320°F liquid nitrogen, Dippin’ Dots require special handling compared to conventional ice cream. Products are stored, delivered and merchandised in custom freezers that maintain the ice cream’s free-flowing nature with -40°F temperatures. As Dippin’ Dots developed a track record with initial accounts including Nashville’s Opryland, its distribution and processing capabilities grew steadily, moving to rented space in Paducah, then to a custom-built facility opened in 1995. A $7.5 million invest-
Corporate Profile ment in a two-phase processing, freezer and distribution operation expansion grew facilities to 120,000 square feet by 2006. Separate assembly of kiosk and merchandising equipment in an adjacent 18,000-square-foot building supplies franchisees and accounts. Gains of the late ’90s to early-2000s gains found Dippin’ Dots on numerous business publication rankings of fastest-growing companies and franchise opportunities and consistently recognized by accounts as a top vendor. The business structure was formalized, and in 2005, added outside leadership that allowed Jones to step out of the day-to-day-operations. Then a series of potentially insurmountable challenges hit simultaneously: record-high dairy pricing along with transportation and liquid nitrogen price spikes; loss of a costly, drawn-out legal battle related to processing patents; and subsequent banking challenges. “We’d been knocked so far back down, we had to treat it as a start-up again,” Jones says of his return as president in 2009. “I’m not planning on stepping out again any time soon.” Mall traffic declines and resulting Dippin’ Dots franchise closures combined with plummeting theme park attendance further strained sales performance. “People do spend more money on small treats during a recession; it just didn’t work with our product. We got hit as a luxury item,” Jones says. The company’s 2007 sales of $40 million were un-profitable, a first since the company was launched. Sales declined to roughly $30 million by 2010. But Dippin’ Dots is focused firmly on the future, developing new products, using social media and targeted marketing to build the brand, and expanding distribution into new channels. Combined
with the turnaround of previously slumping theme park sales in the latter part of 2010 and positive franchisee sales reports, Dippin’ Dots has potential for a “nice little increase” of up to 10% for 2011, Jones says. “And from there, the picture gets better.” Dots developments The core beaded Dippin’ Dots ice cream line has developed to encompass more than 40 varieties. Inclusion-laden Cookies ’n Cream with Oreos is the current top seller. Other popular flavors include banana split, chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate and vanilla. New product additions are created as niches of basic market trends, and designed to maximize capacity and add sales growth without pulling sales from the core Dippin’ Dots business, says Stan Jones, director of research and development. A college pal and long-time colleague of Curt Jones, Stan Jones is unrelated but part of the business since its inception. A vanilla frozen yogurt version of Dippin’ Dots is slated to roll out this summer via participating franchisees as a better-for-you smoothie line addition to the shakes and sundaes initially introduced in 2007. The vanilla yogurt dots include live and active cultures, and are sweetened with all-natural, plant-derived Truvia. Yogurt dots also open up the breakfast daypart for Dippin’ Dots products. “You add blueberries and granola, it’s a breakfast item when you wouldn’t ordinarily be selling ice cream before 11 a.m. at the earliest,” Stan Jones says. The technology behind flash-frozen beaded ice cream is also creating a whole new take on coffee. Dippin’ Dots Coffee, first Continued on page 72
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Corporate Profile introduced to the trade in 2009, extends the brand to a new segment with flash frozen espresso. The line features frozen edible espresso dots as well as Forty Below Joe “no-ice-needed” frappé in caramel, mocha and vanilla flavors. The versatile espresso and frappé dots can also be heated to create espresso or coffee-based drinks with fresh-pressed taste. A hot beverage cart test is in place at Universal Studios in California. Several theme parks are testing spoonable coffee dots and cold coffee drinks in stand-alone carts and kiosks featuring graphics aimed to let consumers know Dippin’ Dots is “more than just ice cream,” says Michael Barrette, v.p. of sales and franchising. The company is also introducing Fruit Twisters, the working name of an all-natural ‘just add beverage’ beaded product line. The product creates frozen-style beverages without ice and blenders, and will be tested in the beverage segment with support from major theme park customers in Texas and Florida. Managing calorie, fat and sugar content as well as taste led to development of low-fat and non-fat Dippin’ Dots products. The brand also uses Truvia sweetener to create a sugar-free chocolate dairy dessert and a sour blue raspberry ice. While developing formulations for alternative sweeteners is always tricky, for Dippin’ Dots, the change in the freeze point was a positive. “We don’t have to keep it as cold,” Stan Jones says. To support potential school foodservice distribution, Dippin’ Dots is also developing a low-fat, low-calorie, Truvia-sweetened product that surpasses federal lunch guidelines as a better-for-you item. “If it passes muster with the grownups, we like our chance
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that we’re going to get trial,” Barrette says. Products designed specifically for conventional frozen product distribution rather than specialty handling offer definite growth opportunities. Dippin’ Dot Ice Cream Cakes, dot-infused ice cream cakes introduced in 2010 with the help of a copacker, are now created on a new processing line at the Paducah facility. Customers include a 165-store chain in the Northeast and a 90-store chain in the Southeast, with new distribution through a frozen foods home delivery company. The cakes are also available through participating franchisees. A second retail freezer product, Dots ’n Cream, is a half-gallon conventional ice cream product infused with dots. Available in select Midwestern retail outlets and in participating franchisee locations, the product rolled out in 2006, was re-introduced with new flavors and packaging in 2008 and expanded to club stores in 2009. A 6-ounce single-serve is in development.
Corporate Profile Branding initiatives The Dippin’ Dots marketing expansions beyond leisure and entertainment venues are a direct response to consumer demand. “One of the top comments we get from consumers is ‘Where can I find Dippin’ Dots?’ Our fans want greater distribution,” says Dana Knudsen, director of marketing and graphic design. Dippin’ Dots conducts product-based marketing aimed at its core demographic teens and tweens ages 8-18, and secondarily to mothers with younger children. A growing base is comprised of older people who have tried the product and liked it, or to consumers who have grown up with the brand. Brand initiatives, including promotions, marketing programs, packaging design and graphic design of all POP and marketing materials are handled in-house; social media outreach teams Dippin’ Dots with an agency.
Hollywood product integration includes trademarks and products found in “Fat Albert,” “Kicking & Screaming” and “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Segments produced for Food TV, The Travel Channel, The Oprah Winfrey Show and the Food Network have also showcased the brand. Corporate programs are integrated with POP marketing and “charged through social media,” Knudsen says. Launched in 2007, the Dippin’ Dots Facebook page is now 3.8 million fans strong. Queries such as, “What would you do with a million dots? A billion?” generate thousands of fervent fan comments. The ability to customize social media programs allows Dippin’ Dots to tailor marketing for individual customers and channels. Fan interaction has helped name Dippin’ Dots menu items and likewise determined the final flavor in the set offered by a large regional water park account. Social media programs likewise support the company’s web site and Forty Below Zero Club, an emailbased consumer fan club that creates geo-targeted email blasts. A rebuild of the Dippin’ Dots website provides additional consumer-brand engagement and allows timelier and more costefficient direct content updates. Site upgrades unveiled in midFebruary feature a more intuitive online ordering system and allow consumers to order an array of products in the same shipment. “We have seen an increase in the number of products people are ordering as well as the total amount of the average order,” Knudsen says. Broad corporate marketing initiatives provide brand notoriety with consumers and supports national, regional and local accounts with additional POP messaging. Examples include a recent proContinued on page 74
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Corporate Profile motion featuring rising country duo the JaneDear Girls; sweepstakes prizes included a $250 Visa gift card, a $250-value Dippin’ Dots party pack and a copy of the duo’s new self-titled CD. Similar contests pair Dippin’ Dots with movies such as “Despicable Me” and video games such as de Blob 2. Curt Jones chose the company’s Paducah location as a way to provide opportunities in the largely rural, economically-distressed region; he is a native of Pulaski County, Ill., about 35 miles away, and notes roughly half of the company’s 170 employees commute from Illinois. “I’ve been very proud that we’ve been able to create jobs in this area.” Jones says. The Dippin’ Dots Foundation – run by an 11-member board that includes Curt Jones, his wife Kay, daughter Tracey and father Milford – additionally supports the community with scholarships to students attending Curt Jones’ alma maters as well as to Dippin’ Dots employees and their families. Stand and deliver More than 20 years of exposure has led consumers to virtually expect Dippin’ Dots at theme parks, water parks, museums, professional sports stadiums and minor league sports venues. Direct accounts sales include 1,500-plus entertainment venue locations and comprise the majority of Dippin’ Dots sales, with 165 Dippin’ Dots franchise operations a “robust minority,” Barrette says. Beyond domestic sales, Dippin’ Dots currently distributes to nine countries and has licensed manufacturers in Korea and Canada. Free-flowing Dippin’ Dots products provide serving efficiencies critical to concessions with time strictures such as sporting event intermissions. “Everyone comes out of their seat at the same time. We can serve 12 customers a
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minute. If you are pouring soft serve or something else, it takes much longer,” Barrette says. “The quality of the taste is the reason we get the repeats. We have a great track record with the velocity of the repeats.” At the end of the first quarter, Dippin’ Dots overall business was up nearly 9%, with sales up almost double at business partners including Universal Studios in Orlando, Barrette reports. “We’re not out of the recession. But the business is growing in today’s environment. We’re reaching out to other outlets to meet the demands,” Barrette says. “The brand is going to start flexing its muscle, but in an intelligent way. Chasing every customer everywhere, we’re not that kind of brand.” Dippin’ Dots account managers work closely with customers on a national, regional and local account level to support the brand and drive sales growth. Along with products, Dippin’ Dots supplies 10-foot by 10-foot mall kiosks, 4-foot by 6-foot mobile fiberglass carts and various other sales units equipped with freezer technology to hold product at -20 to -40˚F. Units also feature graphics designed in-house to showcase the brand and its products. “Kiosk building is really one of the important elements that allowed us to expand and has put us in almost every theme park in America. We bring the complete package,” Curt Jones says. While a franchise kiosk can display more than a dozen flavors and create menu items, in a theme park environment, limited offerings are tied to speed of service. “The slowest part is the decision process,” Barrette says. As part of its business development efforts, Dippin’ Dots has worked with its larger theme park customers to establish 30 Sundae Shops over the last two years, including a shop at Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, one of the largest U.S. theme parks. Described as a “mini satellite store” by Barrette, the shops offer traditional Dippin’ Dots in a cup as well as menu items made with dots such as floats, sundaes and milkshakes and now edible coffee, frappe drinks and dots-based frozen-style drinks. The kiosks are a familiar mall fixture, but economic trends have created a new franchise push for mobile concession-style event presence rather than a fixed location. The 4-foot by 6-foot carts equipped with a freezer and a canopy or umbrella are expected to increase presence at medium-sized fairs and events. Freestanding stores as opposed to mall kiosk locations appeared promising in the early 2000s, but the concept remains in the development phase as Dippin’ Dots learns best practices with corporate-operated stores in Nashville, Metropolis, Ill., and a Paducah mall location. The retail drug store channel is the latest foray for Dippin’ Dots core products. Nearly 100 Walgreens drug store locations are showcasing Dippin’ Dots in countertop and floor-based specialty freezers at checkouts in Nashville, Memphis and Alabama. “There’s a lot more room that we can grow and not hurt our brand,” says Curt Jones. “We’ve stabilized our core product again; it’s starting to grow. My goal is to grow the business to a $200 or $300 million a year company. I can’t say that’s going to happen in five or six years, but at some point. We’re setting the basis for that now.”
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Plant P lant C Close-up lose-up
Ice cream mix dots are formed inside cyrogenic processor units at the Dippin’ Dots plant in Paducah, Ky. Photos by Vito Palmisano
Dots on Demand Futuristic flash-freeze processing creates Dippin’ Dots ice cream and more in Paducah, Ky. Cathy Sivak Contributing Editor
rocessing floor fog, stainless steel frost and the occasional freezer snow flurry underscore the frigid ice cream processing temperatures found at the Dippin’ Dots facility in Paducah, Ky. The company uses -320°F liquid nitrogen inside custom cryogenic processors to flash-freeze ice cream into tiny dots. The concept was pioneered in the late 1980s by Curt Jones, founder and president. His love of homemade ice cream and his microbiology career dovetailed to create ice cream with minimal ice crystal formation for maximum creamy mouthfeel. Early processing in a 400-square-foot garage on the founder’s family farm soon expanded to a rented, 2,000-square-foot space
P
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in a former liquor store in Paducah. In 1995, the company opened its custom-designed 20,000-square-foot Dippin’ Dots facility and 6,000-square-foot kiosk/equipment assembly operation on a 17-acre light industrial tract on Paducah’s outskirts. A series of processing, warehouse and freezer expansions have since grown processing operations to 120,000 square feet and kiosk operations to 18,000 square feet. Capacity and efficiency of the plant’s cryogenic processors, called CP units in-house, have likewise evolved. The company’s original CP unit made 4 gallons of ice cream dots per hour. The fifth-generation CP units now create 60,000 gallons per week – the equivalent of 3 billion tiny frozen dots.
Plant Close-up
At -180°F out of the processor, Dippin’ Dots create frost and a cold fog as a line worker fills bulk gallon bags. Inclusions are poured into the manual hopper (left). The pre-pack Dippin’ Dots line’s cyrogenic processor unit is shown above.
Bulk gallon bags and single-serve packages are held in -40 to -50°F freezer space, then are shipped around the world in -100°F totes and cooler boxes. Customers store the product in Dippin’ Dots-provided freezers that hold product at -40°F prior to serving to consumers in venues, including malls, theme parks and movie theaters. Maintaining even, deep-freeze handling is critical to prevent clumping of the free-flowing frozen pellets. “The product itself is a built-in quality control feature,” says Rick Noble, Dippin’ Dots director of operations. The facility produces more than 40 varieties of Dippin’ Dots in ice cream, sherbet and flavored ice varieties as well as coffee product versions of dots. In May, frozen yogurt dots will roll out from the plant for franchisee and foodservice account launches. In March, a filling line already in place to create Dots ’n Cream retail ice cream half-gallon cartons began creating Dippin’ Dots Ice Cream Cakes. Both products are designed for merchandising in standard freezer cases.
“We’re continually trying to improve our process, improve our products and improve the range of markets that our products can go into. That’s all part of our long-term goals,” says Stan Jones, the company’s director of research and development. The two Jones, unrelated, are college pals and long-time collaborators. Stan Jones created the CP units and headed the Paducah facility’s original design-build as well as subsequent expansions. Proximity to southeast Illinois draws facility employees from both sides of the state line. The plant currently has 135 full-time employees, and adds flexibility during peak production periods with temporary workers. One full shift is dedicated to production five days a week, with a second shift for maintenance and sanitation. Mix mode Creation of the unique beaded ice cream creation starts with a traditional frozen dessert approach. The Dippin’ Dots facility purchases plain and chocolate 10% butterfat ice cream mix from cooperative Prairie Farms. The plant’s single receiving bay accepts an average of four loads of mix totaling 20,000 gallons per week, and handles double that volume during peak production periods. The mix for Dippin’ Dots is treated as raw product, and is subject to in-house lab tests, including standard plate count, coliform, temperature and viscosity, explains Glen Thompson, quality assurance manager. Federal and state-level inspections and certifications along with third-party and in-house audits ensure Dippin’ Dots processing Continued on page 78 www.dairyfoods.com
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Plant Close-up
AT A GLANCE Dippin’ Dots, Paducah, Ky. Year plant built: 1995 Description of additions/renovations: Original 17,000-gallon capacity “pit” freezer chilled with liquid nitrogen replaced with traditional above-ground freezer (1997); new silos, pumps, HTST pasteurizers, bulk cryogenic processors, freezer expansion (2004); freezer, warehouse, shipping expansion (2006); pre-pack filler line added (2007), espresso press (2009). Size: 126,000 square feet on 17-acre tract, including 18,000-square-foot kiosk/equipment assembly shop. Number of employees: 170 total, 135 production Products: Dippin’ Dots ice cream, sherbet, yogurt, cake and coffee. Total processing: 60,000 gallons of ice cream dots per week. Milk receiving: One bay, average four loads Prairie Farms ice cream mix per week (20,000 gallons a week, doubles during peak production); four silos-three 20,000 gallon, one 6,000 gallon. Pasteurization: One HTST pasteurizer, 6,000-gallon per hour; three pasteurized mix silos, 20,000 gallons each. Production lines/types: Five custom cryogenic processors (CP); four bulk lines fill 26,000 1-gallon bags per day. Pre-pack line fills 6,000 3-ounce pouch packages per day, 8,000-pack capacity; alternate size capability. Finished product freezer: 380,000-gallon capacity, -40 to -50°F; 17,000 square feet. Kiosk production: 18,000-square-foot shop for construction of kiosks, carts, stands and other point-of-purchase sales equipment. Dry storage capacity: 20,000-square-foot dry storage warehouse for ingredients, packaging, other dry good. Unique equipment: Fifth-generation custom cryogenic processor units use liquid nitrogen to flash freeze ice cream mix droplets.
capabilities and ongoing HACCP certification. A rabbi visits the facility’s production six times a year for kosher certification. In addition, the company’s suppliers document HACCP programs and ingredient allergen potential. Samples are additionally taken prior to pasteurization, at the flavoring tanks and from finished product as part of the internal audits that follow quality assurance checklists at each phase of the process, Thompson says. Once accepted, mix is held in receiving in three 20,000-gallon silos and the plant’s original 6,000-gallon silo. Mix is pumped
Flavor vat operators synch mix levels and pump speeds with production pace to keep proportions on-target for multi-flavor products.
from receiving silos to the HTST pasteurizer on the processing floor. It is pasteurized at 175°F for 28 seconds at 6,000 gallons per hour, and then pumped into one of three 20,000-gallon silos dedicated to pasteurized storage. The base ice cream mix for Dippin’ Dots is then pumped to a dozen 200- and 100-gallon flavor vats. Bulk flavors are measured from drums and poured manually into the vats in a 23-28 minute process. Careful timing and creative batching allows the plant to create up to seven different varieties per production shift. For instance, vats for chocolate in the morning shift to chocolate mint in the afternoon. Multi-flavor Dippin’ Dots products require simultaneous use of multiple flavor vats – Banana Split uses four vats to combine banana, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla dots in one package. Vat operators carefully synch mix levels and pump speeds with production pace to keep required flavor proportions. Flavor vat mix levels are monitored with a “good old-fashioned measuring stick for less glitches” than automated systems, says Robert Reams, vat operator. Drops to dots The individual mix flavors are pumped through clear tubing to the CP units where mix is transformed to Dippin’ Dots. The CP unit pan sprays the flavored mix out in tiny droplets. Gravity pulls droplets into the tank of -320°F liquid nitrogen. The near-instant transformation from fluid mix to bb pellet-sized ice cream beads minimizes ice crystal formation, the “secret” behind the creamy mouthfeel of Dippin’ Dots products. The flash-frozen beads sink in the CP vat’s liquid nitrogen. Augers move the free-flowing, -180°F ice cream beads to the filler. Continued on page 80
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
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Plant Close-up The pre-pack dots line averages 6,000 3-ounce packs per day for merchandising via vending machine, single-serve freezers and school systems.
Frigid temperatures inside the CP unit create frost on the exterior of the filler line and can freeze the stainless steel feed to the filler nozzle. Preventative action includes a heat gun mounted to blow into the filler; it is activated when the equipment begins to squeak from the cold. Inclusions such as crushed cookies for Dippin’ Dots No. 1 flavor, Cookies ‘n Cream with Oreo, are added via a manually fed hopper on the bulk filler. The company uses 4 tons of Oreo inclusions each week. Line workers use pedal releases to drop dots and inclusions from the filler into plastic gallon bags. Bulk bags are weighed, then manually heat sealed and boxed six-gallon bags to a carton. Experimentation with filling line efficiencies to reduce manual handling has yielded unsatisfactory results, says Noble. “It’s a process that is difficult to automate due to the extremely low temperatures.” The cartons are placed on a conveyor and travel at an incline off the processor floor to palletizing; products are then moved to the freezer via forklift. The bulk CP units are also used to create flash-frozen espresso dots for the company’s Dippin’ Dots Coffee line, launched in 2009. An industrial-sized espresso machine extracts espresso from Brazilian and Guatemalan Arabica coffee beans. The espresso is then immediately converted into dots. The Dippin’ Dots Forty Below Joe Edible Coffee features the frozen espresso dots as well as frappé in caramel, mocha and vanilla flavors. The versatile espresso dots can also be heated to create espresso or coffee-based drinks with fresh-pressed taste. Dots on the go In space adjacent to the bulk CP units, the plant creates pre-packaged dot products for merchandising via vending machine, singleserve freezers and school systems.
The pre-pack Dippin’ Dots line averages 6,000 3-ounce packs per day. Capacity is 8,000 packs per day, but is deliberately slowed to prevent equipment failure. “The use of nitrogen and ultra-cold temperatures tends to wear parts,” Thompson says. A CP unit forms the dots, which are then routed to the filler. The line can also fill 50 gram, 2.5- and 7-ounce packs as required. A new inclusion feeder for the prepack line to be online by the end of May will phase out the current multistep process for inclusion-laden varieties. Without the feeder, bulk gallon bags of pre-mixed Cookies ‘n Cream with Oreo dots are transferred from the adjacent bulk filler to the pre-pack line via wheeled dry ice tote, then poured into a manual feed hopper on the pre-pack unit’s filler. A puff of air opens the pre-formed pouches, and dots automatically drop in. Pouches are sealed and hand packed 50 to a carton. The boxes are then transferred to the conveyor system, which whisks product to palletizing and then to freezer storage. Cake creations The Paducah facility added ice cream cakes to its line-up in March. The newest and most labor-intensive addition to the plant’s processing capabilities, the cake line utilizes expertise and equipment already in place for the company’s retail halfgallon Dots ‘n Cream ice cream line. However, the new product has required additional staffing, as 34 line workers are involved in the assembly line-style cake creation from start to finish. An East Coast co-packer established Dippin’ Dots cake distribution through select retail chains. Initially, Paducah cake production will be dedicated to a frozen food home delivery service partnership. Unlike the special freezer accommodations required for dots, both Dots ‘n Cream and the cake lines can be held in standard ice cream cases. Pre-made dots are added to ice cream mix via an inclusion hopper to create one of two cake varieties, Cookies ‘n Cream or Rainbow. The dot-infused ice cream pours out of the filler at soft-serve consistency into 6-inch round plastic cake molds at a rate of five per minute, about half of potential capacity. A line worker uses food-grade cardboard to smooth the dotinfused ice cream at the bottom of the plastic cake mold, then uses the cardboard to create a bottom seal. “The actual temperature of the dots when introduced to the ice cream mix immediately begins to freeze the cakes from the inside,” Noble says. Continued on page 82
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Plant Close-up The newest addition to Paducah processing capabilities is the Dippin’ Dots Cake line, decorated assemblystyle. An existing filler line is used to create the ice cream cakes (inset).
Cake molds are then transferred to a conveyor for a trip through the -200°F freezer tunnel. The rapid internal freezing combined with the tunnel creates an ice cream cake with creamier-then-regular ice cream texture, Noble says. The day’s run of Rainbow Confetti Cake hard freezes in the tunnel at a rate of 17 minutes, 50 seconds per cake. The ready-todecorate “blanks” are held in dry ice-filled shipping containers to await decorative touches. Line workers remove cakes from plastic molds for the decorating process; the food-grade cardboard acts as a holder. Employee-operated mechanical icing equipment smoothes butter cream frosting on cake exteriors. Cakes are inspected for frosting gaps and touched up as necessary. The cake is then passed to a “dollop” machine, where an employee guides application of decorative frosting around the cake top’s edge. The next worker sprinkles a colorful mixture of Rainbow flavor Dippin’ Dots onto the cake top. Next, “stringers” of blue and red frosting are hand-applied to the cake top by two more line workers. Cakes are then placed in pre-formed bakery-style cake boxes, run through the metal detector and date coded. Cake boxes are shrink-wrapped, packed eight to a shipping carton, and sent via conveyor for palletizing, freezer storage and distribution. Freeze for all The ultra-cold 380,000-gallon-capacity storage freezer is kept at between -40 and -50°F. A two-door entry system leads from palletizing and distribution areas to a staging area. Once inside the insulating pocket, a second set of doors permits full entry into the freezer, where palletized products are stored on racks and forklifts leave tracks in the snow generated by the occasional updraft. The freezer uses a pallet racking system to optimize storage space, much more accessible than the facility’s original pit 82
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freezer. The non-mechanical freezer pit harnessed the liquid nitrogen gases from the CP units; product pallets were lowered and lifted with a crane. When the pit’s capacity began to be strained and product retrieval impractical, the pit replaced with a 90,000-gallon capacity freezer. Freezer space has since expanded, first to 180,000-gallon capacity, then to the current 380,000-gallon capacity. Dippin’ Dots products are shipped via commercial carrier in customdesigned, pallet-ready shipping containers. Each holds 360 dot gallons at -100°F with a four-day supply of dry ice in a bunker compartment. Dry ice is also used in one-way lined freezer cartons. The plant uses an average of 45,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen per week and an additional 20,000 pounds of dry ice. Use of liquid nitrogen and dry ice requires close attention. In addition to the cold, oxygen displacement is a real hazard. “Keeping airflow moving is a top priority. A return air system and exhaust fans keep air flowing. We also have oxygen monitors to warn us if oxygen levels drop below the required level,” Noble says. Employee safety is also ensured with a well-organized safety program. Department-specific safety meetings are held weekly for all employees, and include GMP training for all employees; new production staffers also receive GMP safety training. The facility ships domestically and worldwide to countries, including Mexico, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and Kuwait. Upon delivery, Dippin’ Dots products are stored in company-supplied freezers to maintain -40˚F below temperatures. The exception is the standard freezer temperatures products, Dots n’ Cream ice cream and Dippin’ Dots Cake. The production team continues to examine the process for ways to increase efficiency and reduce shrink, “really, the same thing that every business looks at. We just have a little bit more unique process,” Stan Jones says. For instance, clean-up was streamlined by the 2004 addition of CP unit clean-in-place (CIP) capabilities, believed to be a first for processing equipment with screw conveyors, Stan Jones says. “We went from having to physically break down the equipment to clean it to having clean-in-place technology.” Capturing cold generated by the sinking gases from the liquid nitrogen continues to be a priority, perhaps with a large nitrogen tunnel, says Curt Jones. “It’s still something we think about. We’ve got that capability if we ever want to revisit that idea. It worked.”
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Plant Close-up
Behind the Scenes A photo gallery of Dippin’ Dots, Paducah, Ky. Photos by Vito Palmisano
Dippin' Dots opened its processing facility in 1995; a series of processing, warehouse and freezer expansions has since grown processing operations to 120,000 square feet and kiosk operations to 18,000 square feet on the 17-acre site.
Curt Jones, Dippin' Dots founder and president, shows off the kiosks, carts and other concession equipment created in-house to provide specialty freezers, brand consistency and turnkey operations.
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Plant Close-up
BEHIND SCENES the
For more photos, visit www.dairyfoods.com/behindthescenes. Or, take a picture of the mobile tag with your smart phone to go online now. Get the free mobile app at http://gettag.mobi.
Left: Mechanized “dollop” ability sped up the decorative process over initial manual application. Below left: Dippin’ Dots treats its ice cream mix as raw product. Cathy Sivak, contributing editor, gets a look at the HTST pasteurizer. Below: The 380,000-gallon-capacity storage freezer is kept between -40 and -50°F to keep ice cream dots freeflowing.
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New Developments and Directions in Membranes and Membrane Chemistries
Thursday, June 9 Membrane Separations: New Technologies, Materials and Applications 7:30 am
Your Registration Includes: Access to technical sessions held by expert instructors on Wednesday, June 8 and Thursday, June 9.
Registration/Continental Breakfast
8:00 am
Introduction to Water Chemistry
8:30 am
Commercial Water RO Sizing and Water Chemistry and Introduction to RO Sizing Programs
9:00 am
Water RO Pretreatment: Water Chemistry and How to Operate a Water RO System
9:30 am
Membrane System Troubleshooting - From a Macro Level (Checking Housings) to a Micro Level (Membrane Autopsy)
10:00 am Morning Break 10:30 am Membrane Cleaning: How to Avoid Common Mistakes & Improve Cleaning Performance
Opportunities to learn about recent advance and best practices in the industry
11:00 am How to Develop Cleaning Program for Reverse Osmosis Applications 11:30 am An introduction to MBR technology and its Growing Role in Water Treatment 12:00 pm Critical Parameters in Using Membrane Technology in Milk and Dairy Applications
Complete access to sponsor Tabletop Displays to learn about the latest products and services for all aspects of the industry
Walk away with conference proceedings containing all speaker presentations
All conference meals, including continental breakfasts, breaks, & luncheons
12:30 pm Networking Luncheon 1:30 pm
Ceramic Membrane Technology and Critical Applications
2:00 pm
Update on the Use of Microfiltration for Production of ESL Milk, and Total Protein and Casein Standardization of Cheese Milk
2:30 pm
New Membrane Products for the Beverage and Food Industry
3:00 pm
New Applications of Caustic/Acid/Solvent Stable Ultrafiltration and Nanofiltration Membranes
3:30 pm
Afternoon Break
4:00 pm
Current Applications of New Nanofiltration Membrane for High Temperature/ High pH Performance
4:30 pm
An Inorganic Tubular Membrane for Demanding Applications
5:00 pm
New Energy Saving and Efficient Membrane Technologies from GE
Friday, June 10 Facility Tours*
n e c o u r s e .com
8:00 am
Visit and Tour Membrane Manufacturer, OEM, End User and Supplier Facilities *additional fees apply
Labeling Technology
Labels Provide Info, Safety Hail the hard-working label. It imparts nutrition data and other product attributes to shoppers, while providing tamper-evidence. he talk in the dairy processing world is about “sustainability,” “food safety” and “nutrition.” These terms resonate with the general public. Marketers use packaging and labeling to convey these concepts to shoppers. A new, voluntary U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative identifies bio-based products (those whose main ingredients are renewable plant or animal materials). The USDA says the purpose is to more clearly identify bio-based products and to promote their use. Clear Lam Packaging, Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill., received a biobased label for its renewable thermoformed produce packaging made from more than 93% plant-based bioplastics derived from Ingeo PLA (polylactic acid), along with ingredients. Marketers can put a USDA-certified bio-based label on their packaging. Clear Lam submitted additional packaging for the BioPreferred program, including packages for dairy foods such as yogurt and cottage cheese. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers are including nutrition information (including calories per serving and fiber content) more prominently on their packaging, while grocery retailers are using shelf talkers to convey this information. Food marketers are taking advantages of new technologies, such as smart phones, to add quick-response codes to packages. This is a way to engage the shopper and to provide additional information about the brand. This spring, Dairy Foods chief editor Jim Carper convened a virtual roundtable of executives in the labeling field and asked about food safety, package clutter and training. Following is an edited transcript of emailed responses.
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Dairy Foods: How has the increase in food safety-related product recalls over the last three years impacted the services you offer or the engineering and design of your equipment?
Meet the Panel Jim Dwyer, president and CEO, The RB Dwyer Group, Melville, N.Y. Don Earl, owner, Overnight Labels, Deer Park, N.Y. Drew Faust and John O’Donnell, sales, EPI Labelers, New Freedom, Pa. Ron Giordano, chairman and CEO, H.S.Crocker Co., Huntley, Ill. Stacy Santos, marketing manager, Dion Label Printing, Westfield, Mass.
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
A print-and-apply labeler from EPI Labelers, New Freedom, Pa.
Jim Dwyer: Every label that we print incorporates nutritional information. In addition, many of our customers like the benefits of a decorative sleeve and tamper-evident band. This all-in-one combination label allows the CPG to bring out a product that looks great and also is secure. It also eliminates the need for two components, making this a more environmental friendly package. Our tamper-evident bands and preforms — frequently used on ice cream and cultured products — also provide that extra amount of security that consumers are looking for. John O’Donnell: We have seen an uptick in customers requesting application of [our] barcode labels to packages using a printContinued on page 90
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Labeling Technology and-apply labeler to apply tracking labels to the front or back of packages. Drew Faust: The print-apply system has led us to engineer more printer applicators for an ever-expanding array of applications, ranging from master cartons to individual packages. Dairy Foods: What steps has your company taken in reaction to the new Food Safety Modernization Act?
Photo courtesy of Videojet Technologies
Ron Giordano: We are coordinating with our auditing team to ensure that these new measures are being addressed.
On the bottling lines at Ultra Dairy in New York, a laser coder and small-character ink jet printers can run up to 16 hours per day, five days per week. Each printer stores generic templates to allow line operators to access preset formats and coding-space sizes. The operators can then modify these templates to include required information.
Dwyer: The Food Safety Modernization Act does not directly impact shrink labels because the labels do not come in direct contact with food. However, we do business with many CPGs and they have certain requirements for our facilities. Our facilities have adopted food-safety policies and procedures that incorporate good manufacturing processes so that our facilities pass their inspections. Dairy Foods: There is a movement among packaged goods companies to add nutritional data to the front of their packages. Other CPGs are adding mobile tags (QR or quick-response codes) elsewhere on the package. How do you advise customers to avoid package clutter?
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Continued on page 92
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
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Labeling Technology A shrink-sleeve label on a beverage container from Overnight Labels, Deer Park, N.Y.
Stacy Santos: Requests for QR codes are increasing. A QR code can be printed on various substrates, so it does not matter whether it’s printed on a film, foil or tag material. The one thing that must happen, as with all barcodes, is that the QR code must be on a white background to yield the best scan results. Since QR codes can carry information both horizontally and vertically, a QR code is able to encode the same amount of data in approximately one-tenth the space of a traditional barcode. Most label designs that we see in the dairy industry are one to three colors. However, recently, we are seeing a shift to more companies using shrink sleeves in their packaging and four-color process labels. There hasn’t been a problem incorporating QR codes into the label because they can be so small. There is most always white space available on current dairy label designs. A food manufacturer does not have to give up something (product benefits, etc.) in return for a QR code. QR codes can be in four color, not just black and white. If you research “QR codes color,” you will see some fascinating, colorful codes and some embedded images, such as a company logo, giving them a cool design effect.
nutritional information on a label and applying it to either the front or back of a package that is produced on vertical or horizontal form/fill/seal equipment. This creates the flexibility to apply a label rather than printing the information on the film, allowing the information to easily be changed without creating unusable packaging film that has been printed with outdated information. Additionally, we have several customers that get labels pre-printed with their multicolored logo and we add the variable information to it, giving them total flexibility. Simply put, it adds flexibility and reduces waste. Don Earl: If it’s a beverage or some other product that comes in a container, they may be able to use shrink sleeves. Shrink sleeves conform to the whole container and give more real estate for additional reporting information required by the USDA or FDA. A sleeve gives you 360-degree graphics and potential tamper evidence, much more than a pressure-sensitive (PS) label does.
Faust: We can offer the customer the option of applying pre-printed labels or printing variable
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Dairy Foods | May 2011
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Company Name ADM Cocoa Admix, Inc. Ajinomoto Food Ingredients LLC. Amelia Bay, Inc. Ampco Pumps Co. Autocrat Premium Coffee & Syrup Bentley Instruments BUCHI Corp. Clear Seas Research Concord Foods Inc. Corn Products Specialty Ingredients Cryovac DD Williamson Dairy House Danisco USA Inc. David Michael & Co. Delkor Systems, Inc. Evergreen Packaging FC Stone Flavorchem Fortitech, Inc. FPSA Fristam Pumps, Inc. GEA Niro Soavi NA GEA Process Engineering, Inc. GEA Tuchenhagen North America Gelita USA Gram Equipment Great Lakes Separators H.S. Crocker Company, Inc.
Page No. 29 16 41 9 70 45 90 32 13 71 43 3 48 25 31 27 BC 61 92 21 49 55 4 68 IFC 89 52 73 90 54
Company Name
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International Dairy Foods Association iTi Tropicals Matsutani ADM MilkPEP Mintel International Neogen Paul Mueller Company Pecan Deluxe Candy Company Polypack, Inc. Powder Solutions Relco Richmond Baking Robert Reiser & Co. S&D Coffee Sensient Food Colors Siemens Energy & Automation Spraying Systems Co. SPX Flow Technology Segment Sudmo North America, Inc. Symrise Tate & Lyle Tetra Pak, Inc. Thirs-Tea Corp. TIC Gums Tindall Packaging, Inc. United International Industries U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council Weber Scientific Wisconsin Dairy Products Association
7, 91 12, 50 14, 15 35 109 81 6 72 18 97 6 37 95 39 57 101 79 IBC 75 51 17, 19 83 24 53 99 92 33 11 97
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Inside Perspective
Meeting the Challenge of Sodium Reduction t seems that hardly a week goes by without another food company announcing its commitment to sodium reduction, or another group proposing voluntary targets for food producers. The debate on whether sodium was an issue or not ended last year with the Institute of Medicine’s report, “Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States.” The message was reinforced in the revised 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans with an increased focus on a recommended daily allowance of 2,300 milligrams sodium for most adults and a new, reduced daily allowance of 1,500 milligrams for a significant portion of the population such as children and at-risk adults. However, this now raises two important questions. Firstly, what’s the route forward to achieving an overall 33% reduction in dietary sodium (from the current 3,436 milligrams daily average)? Secondly, in the quest to limit sodium consumption, how do we avoid creating shortfalls in other positive nutrients such as calcium and protein?
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Protein, calcium and sodium Consider this. Dairy products deliver approximately 11% of the sodium in the U.S. diet, with much of that (8%) coming from cheese. Even a simple glass of pure 2% milk contains 130 milligrams of sodium. So if you follow the three-servings-ofdairy-a-day rule, you’ll likely consume at least 390 milligrams of sodium, or 17% of your daily guidance. However, dairy products are also very important sources of calcium (21% of dietary calcium comes from cheese), protein and other valuable nutrients. Hitting 2,300 milligrams sodium a day (let alone 1,500 milligrams a day) by relying on reduced consumption and avoidance while avoiding any shortfalls is not going to work for most consumers. Even minimally processed products such as cheddar cheese or cottage cheese have added salt as part of their traditional make process, which cannot be easily 110
Dairy Foods | May 2011
removed or reduced without sacrificing quality. Sodium plays a complex role in cheese and is more than just salt added for taste. In natural cheese, salt is vital for curd formation and curing. Even relatively small reductions in sodium change the environment for the micro-flora, which results in change to taste and texture that goes much further than simply being less salty. In process cheese, sodium salts play a critical role in delivering not just the flavor, but also the creamy melt characteristic. It is possible to exchange some of the sodium salts with other salts, such as potassium. Yet this creates another set of challenges with unwanted taste changes in the form of increased bitterness. Reductions can be made, but even slight decreases of 10% are not always straightforward and can alienate loyal consumers. Looking beyond reduction Despite these challenges, Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill., has been actively working on sodium reduction for more than two decades and in 2010, we announced further plans to reduce sodium across our U.S. portfolio by an average of 10% by 2012. That’s equivalent to 750 million teaspoons of salt. In cheese, for example, we reduced the sodium in Kraft Velveeta by 10% in 2010. However, to reach the recommended consumption levels, we need to look beyond sodium reduction in existing products. The industry has three other parallel paths: 1) introduce reduced-sodium alternatives to existing products; 2) innovate with new products that offer great taste but are naturally low in sodium; and 3) invest in new technology to better manage how we use sodium in our products. Within Kraft cheese, we are making progress on offering reduced-sodium versions of products. The challenge is the balance between a meaningful reduction in sodium while still delighting the consumer with taste. As part of this strategy, Kraft Foods now offers reduced sodium (30%
Nigel Kirtley
lower) versions of both Breakstone’s and Knudsen cottage cheeses as well as other cheese varieties, such as Swiss, which are lower sodium. Innovating with new products that are naturally low in sodium also needs to be part of the solution. It is also the hardest and riskiest strategy, which has to be rooted in a broader business rationale and not just lower sodium. One recent example from Kraft is the launch of Athenos Greek yogurt, which has only 100 milligrams of sodium and 0 grams fat per serving while still delivering great taste and texture with 23 grams of high-quality protein. In March, the Dairy Innovation Center of Dairy Management Inc., Rosemont, Ill., published a paper on the sodium content of various retail cheeses in the United States. It is a unique and substantial piece of scientific work based on real marketplace data. One of the interesting findings was the relatively wide range in sodium content (as measured analytically) across cheeses. Even within one cheese type, such as cheddar, there was significant variation (470-730 milligrams per 100 grams) and even still within individual brands there was variation. Perhaps that should not be a surprise as cheese is made directly from milk, a natural material, which itself varies. Many of our manufacturing processes are based on long-established traditional methods with the focus for a cheesemaker on amount of added salt rather than final sodium content, which is more difficult to measure. As an industry, improving our control of sodium has to go in parallel with any steps in reductions. The sodium challenge is tough, and to tackle it we need to use all our options; it’s just not going to be business as usual. Nigel Kirtley is vice president R&D at Kraft Foods Cheese and Dairy, Northfield, Ill. Dairy Foods seeks essays from dairy processors. Contact
[email protected].
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