COVID-19 is reshaping consumer preferences, according to the Dairy Management Inc.
That is a major takeaway from the Dairy Checkoff, as they looked back on 2020.
Research from a consulting firm found 50 percent of consumers say that the pandemic has made them more aware of the environment. Even more believe America should respond to climate change with the same urgency as COVID-19.
DMI CEO Tom Gallager says that will shift research and product development moving forward.
According to Gallager, “Sustainable nutrition is the phrase you are going to hear going forward. You are going to see those two things inextricably tied. Our research plan is very robust at the center. The primary research we focus on is whole milk because we are number one, the only group that is really pushing the research on whole milk and taking it to the scientific community.”
Despite the pandemic, the group says that U.S. dairy exports have been steadily rising over the years, with 2020 exports up 24 percent from 2016.
