All eyes will be on Green Bay, Wis., in early March when the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, presented by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, returns from March 4 to 6. Serving as the largest technical dairy products competition in the nation, the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) has hosted the event biennially since 1981. WCMA expects more than 2,000 entries across 117 classes in 2025. New this year will be entry classes for sour cream, low-fat sour cream and cultured dairy dips, reflecting industry feedback and growth in these sectors.

In a Special Episode of “Let’s Talk Dairy,” we sit down with Todd Hutson, commercial manager at Tetra Pak, who brings a wealth of 36 years of experience in packaging for the dairy industry with a special emphasis on sustainability. Hutson specializes in dairy filtration technology, focusing on high-value proteins and sustainable solutions to reduce energy and water consumption.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is revoking the authorization for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 as a matter of law. The ruling to ban the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs is in response to a 2022 color additive petition. Manufacturers who use FD&C Red No. 3 in food will have until January 15, 2027, to reformulate their products.