Volume 31 June 3, 2011 Number 19 A INSIDE Dairy featured as part of meal Guest columnist: in USDA’s new ‘MyPlate’ icon ‘California dairy hits on tap at show.’ WASHINGTON — First Lady against your maximum limit for Council. “The location of dairy For details, see page 4. Michelle Obama and U.S. Agri- ‘empty calories’ (calories from on the graphic really helps it culture Secretary Tom Vilsack solid fats and added sugars),” stand out as an essential part Dairy Institute of Calif., on Thursday unveiled a new USDA says. of a healthy eating plan.” WUD request CDFA food icon, “MyPlate,” which All fluid milk products and Jerry Kozak, president hearing be delayed. replaces the “MyPyramid” icon many foods made from milk are and CEO of the National Milk For details, see page 5. and features dairy as a key considered part of the dairy Producers Federation, notes component of each meal. group. Foods made from milk the new icon is a simple visual Exclusive: CMN’s annual USDA introduced the new that have little to no calcium metaphor of a serving of dairy ‘Key Players’ profiles. food icon to replace the — such as cream cheese, cream products alongside a plate. For details, see pages 9-52. “MyPyramid” image as the ing habits consistent with the and butter — are not, USDA “Dairy foods are right- government’s primary food 2010 Dietary Guidelines for says. Calcium-fortified soy milk fully being recognized, from Bill Jacoby to receive group symbol. USDA touts Americans. (soy beverage) also is part of the school house to the White WDPA Presidents Award. the change as an easy-to- “MyPyramid” will remain the dairy group. House, as an important part of For details, see page 51. understand visual cue to help available to interested health USDA will work with First everyone’s diet,” Kozak says. consumers adopt healthy eat- professionals and nutrition Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Connie Tipton, president educators in a special section of Move!” initiative and public and and CEO of the International the new website, www.Choose private partners to promote Dairy Foods Association, adds MyPlate.gov, USDA notes. “MyPlate” and its website as that the new icon “highlights Key Players 2011 The new food icon em- well as the supporting nutri- how beneficial a serving of phasizes the fruit, vegetable, tion messages and “how-to” dairy at every meal can be and By the staff of Cheese Market News grains, protein and dairy food resources. helps to educate people about groups. It emphasizes that The U.S. dairy industry on dairy’s role on the table and in Welcome to Cheese Market News’ 2011 edition of “Key Players,” our fruits and vegetables should Thursday praised the new icon, the American diet.” annual profile of who’s who in the U.S. cheese industry. make up half of a meal, while saying it provides a clear and Vivien Godfrey, CEO of the “Key Players” takes an in-depth look at what a select group of protein is the smallest part of visual message that a healthy Milk Processor Education cheese companies has accomplished in the past year and what they the plate. The grain portion diet is comprised of a variety of Program, notes that milk are planning for the rest of this year. is a bit larger and still offers nutrient-rich foods, including provides a unique package Selection by our staff as a “Key Player” isn’t based on a company’s the advice to “make half your lowfat and fat-free milk, cheese of nine essential nutrients sales or production volume. Rather, in “Key Players” we attempt grains whole.” and yogurt. that are important for good to provide you with a look at the industry as a whole, ranging from For dairy, USDA recom- “Knowing what we do about health. some of the smallest up-and-coming award-winning cheesemakers to mends that consumers choose dairy’s ability to reduce the risk “We are firm believers in long-established companies with multiple plants producing millions fat-free or lowfat milk, yogurt of conditions like osteoporo- the importance of ‘pouring one of pounds of cheese used in every prepared food imaginable. Despite and cheese. sis, hypertension and type 2 more’ serving of dairy, and this their differences, all of these cheese companies have one thing in “If you choose milk or diabetes, we think it’s excit- tool will be a fresh reminder common: They are constantly innovating and shaping the future of yogurt that is not fat-free, ing that dairy is highlighted to all Americans as they sit the U.S. dairy industry. or cheese that is not lowfat, individually,” says Jean Ragalie, down at their tables with While each profile provides you with insight into a specific company, the fat in the product counts president of the National Dairy their families,” she says. CMN in its entirety “Key Players” is a snapshot of where the dairy industry is in 2011. In this year’s piece, you will read about cheese company consolidation, measures companies are taking to minimize their use of natural resources and environmental impact, the move toward third- party food safety audits and certifications, and the increasing effort Groupon offers industry new Cheese production by many companies to be flexible and work with their customers to in U.S. increases provide specific, custom products to meet changing needs. channel for customer growth Even though the economy struggles, in these pages you will learn 2 percent in April By Alyssa Sowerwine which companies are expanding through the construction of new plants WASHINGTON — Total U.S. or major plant renovations. You will see companies becoming more cheese production was 882.0 involved in the export market. And you will see how the development MADISON, Wis. — The digital age has changed the way com- panies interact with consumers. Once limited to print, radio or million pounds in April, 2.1 of social media is molding and shaping companies’ marketing tactics. percent above April 2010’s We do know that having an understanding of a company’s size television advertisements, companies now can keep customers up to date on the latest products, news and deals on Facebook, 864.1 million pounds, ac- and scope is helpful in understanding a company’s positioning in the cording to preliminary data industry, so whenever possible we have provided sales and production Twitter and via blog updates. Another website, Groupon.com, has offered companies yet an- released this week by USDA’s data. However, you will notice we have not ranked the companies by National Agricultural Sta- size but instead have listed them alphabetically. This is because they other collaborative option to grow their consumer base. Launched in November 2008 in Chicago, Groupon features daily deals on things tistics Service (NASS). (All each are making an important and unique contribution to the growth figures are rounded. Please of the industry. to do, see, eat and buy in more than 400 markets and thousands of cities around the world. The service is a project of The Point, a see CMN’s Dairy Production To find out more about the profiled companies and to learn more chart on page 8.) about where the U.S. cheese industry is headed, please read on … website that allows anyone to start a campaign asking people to give money or do something as a group — but only once a “tipping point” April cheese production Turn to KEY PLAYERS, page 9 Turn to GROUPON, page 6 Turn to NASS, page 8 Reprinted with permission from the June 3, 2011, edition of CHEESE MARKET NEWS® © Copyright 2011 Quarne Publishing LLC; PH: (509) 962-4026; www.cheesemarketnews.com 2 CHEESE MARKET NEWS® — June 3, 2011 MARKET INDICATORS Chicago Mercantile Exchange CHEESE FUTURES for the week ended June 2, 2011 Cash prices for the week ended June 3, 2011 (Listings for each day by month, settling price and open interest) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Fri., May 27 Mon., May 30 Tues., May 31 Wed., June 1 Thurs., June 2 May 30 May 31 June 1 June 2 June 3 MAY11 1.650 298 1.650 298 1.650 298 1.650 298 JUN11 1.827 384 1.854 384 1.873 384 1.873 392 Cheese Barrels JUL11 1.870 202 1.929 202 1.962 202 1.962 220 Price $1.8700 $1.8725 $1.8875 $1.9600 AUG11 1.850 169 1.863 169 1.889 169 1.889 185 Change Markets +5 1/4 +1/4 +1 1/2 +7 1/4 SEP11 1.830 187 1.846 187 1.846 187 1.846 195 Closed OCT11 1.793 243 Markets 1.793 243 1.793 243 1.793 251 Cheese 40-lb. block NOV11 1.751 287 Closed 1.759 287 1.778 287 1.768 303 Price $1.9500 DEC11 1.710 259 1.714 259 1.717 259 1.717 259 $1.8700 $1.9050 $2.0500 JAN12 1.666 31 1.666 31 1.666 31 1.666 31 Change +6 +3 1/2 +4 1/2 +10 FEB12 1.653 30 1.653 30 1.653 30 1.653 30 MAR12 1.660 30 1.660 30 1.660 30 1.660 30 Weekly average (May 31-June 3): Barrels: $1.8975(+.1345); 40-lb. Blocks: $1.9438(+.1778). APR12 1.683 30 1.683 30 1.683 30 1.683 30 Weekly ave. one year ago (June 1-4, 2010): Barrels: $1.3744; 40-lb. Blocks: $1.4156. MAY12 1.693 30 1.693 30 1.693 30 1.693 30 JUN12 1.693 30 1.693 30 1.693 30 1.693 30 Extra Grade NDM Total Contracts Traded/ Price $1.6100 $1.6100 $1.6100 $1.6100 Open Interest 5/2,210 0/2,210 1/2,210 76/2,284 Change Markets NC NC NC NC Daily market prices are available by visiting CME’s online statistics sites at http://www.cmegroup.com.