In the case of U.S. dairy exports, no “rebelling” is needed, particularly since price is powerful. For all the concern about trade wars, slowing global economic growth, shipping issues and de-globalization, U.S. dairy exports have been strong for products where U.S. prices have been relatively cheap over the past year.

Ingredients are similar to a great singer-songwriter. The hits keep coming and they resonate for years to come with iconic artists like Billy Joel, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pink and Lady Gaga . We take an in-depth look at the ingredient market, starting with the big buzzword: protein.

Sponsored by IFPC.

If we had to characterize plant-based milk alternative sales as a song, they were definitely nowhere near the level of a nasty “breakup” song, like Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” or Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own.” However, the overall category has been "singing the blues" recently.

Sponsored by Cargill.

For most every musician, some songs become big hits, while others simply do not catch on. In the ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee, tea and juice categories, there are also some hits and misses.

These days, cultured dairy is a rock and roll legend that people would figuratively spend thousands to see in concert, a la Beyoncé, Coldplay or The Weeknd. Thanks primarily to the health and wellness trend — which encompasses those taking GLP-1 medications as well as TikTok videos — yogurt and cottage cheese are definitely two of the hottest subcategories in the entire food industry.

Sponsored by CEM.

When it comes to natural cheese, “it’s almost heaven” for the category, which Chicago-based market research firm Circana notes is growing in both sales and units.

Sponsored by Nercon.

Demonstrating staying power in the ice cream category is the $8.9 frozen novelties category, which for the 52 weeks ending Sept. 7 not only generated year-over-year (YoY) growth of 2.5%, but outpaced the ice cream/sherbert category, which “lapped up” dollar sales of $8.6 billion, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm Circana.

After a decades-long decline and fluctuating volume, consumers are saying “yes” and “loving” the nutritional value of milk, sticking with “real” dairy as the most familiar option versus the perceived heavily processed plant-based dairy alternatives.

Sponsored by NOSHOK.

DAIRY FOODS EXTRA 

With PROOF Hard Ice Cream currently expanding at a blazing pace, corporate executives acknowledge they will soon outgrow its 4,000-square-foot South Carolina plant.

EXPORTER OF THE YEAR  

South Carolina is perhaps where the next great dairy segment has been born: alcohol-infused ice cream. At the forefront of the alcohol-infused ice cream movement is PROOF Hard Ice Cream, led by Jennifer Randall, co-founder and CEO, and Dirk Brown, co-founder and chairman, who founded the start-up in 2014.