Organization Spotlight: The Dairy Council of California
The Dairy Council of California (DCC) strives to enhance the health and well-being of children and adults by enabling individuals to make healthy food and lifestyle choices through nutrition programs for educators and health professionals. It was formed in 1919 and is funded by dairy producers and processors through assessments collected by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Programs
DCC provides free programs and resource materials to educators and health professionals in California. Printed and electronic materials are available for purchase by individuals in other states. Every program utilizes Dairy Council of California’s individualized learning model to support multiple learning styles and programs that establish personal relevancy for individuals. These programs are designed to lead to positive behavioral changes in food and activity choices.
Mobile Dairy Classrooms
Dairy Council of California operates four Mobile Dairy Classrooms that bring a cow and calf to visit schools across California. Reaching almost 300,000 schoolchildren each year, the interactive presentation teaches students and teachers about milk’s journey from the cow to the dinner table, the nutritional value of dairy foods, basic cow anatomy and agriculture’s contributions to the food supply.
Meals Matter Web Site
Dairy Council of California launched its MealsMatter.org consumer Web site in 2001 to make healthy meal planning easier by offering free access to customized nutrition information, interactive educational tools, thousands of recipes, personal cookbooks, meal planning calendars and shopping lists.
Nutrition Philosophy
DCC embraces a nutrition approach that encourages individuals to eat moderate portion sizes of a wide variety of foods. Instructional materials and communications are based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and USDA’s MyPyramid food guidance system. DCC encourages dietary patterns that emphasize nutrient-rich food choices that are often under-consumed: low-fat dairy, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
DCC believes that all foods can be part of healthful eating when managed for variety, moderation and proportionality. “We do not support labeling individual foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ says Peggy Biltz, executive director. “We recognize that favorite foods, regardless of fat or calorie content, can be part of a balanced diet.”
DCC also promotes 30 to 60 minutes of daily physical activity, along with a nutritious diet, to enhance an individual’s overall health and well-being. Physically active individuals are more able to maintain their body weight and enjoy more flexibility in food choices.
Education Philosophy
DCC programs target children at key developmental stages and adults at critical times in their lives when eating and lifestyle habits are most likely to be re-evaluated. The programs are based on a problem-solving model that supports behavior change. They include learning strategies that are consistent with recent brain research on effective learning.
Functional Foods Task Force
For more than 12 years, the Dairy Council of California closely followed the functional-foods movement (foods that provide a health benefit beyond the basic nutrients). Initially focusing on fruits and vegetables, functional foods now include other foods such as dairy, fish, nuts, wine and chocolate. To ensure that dairy foods are well-positioned in this movement and that obstacles to this positioning are addressed, DCC convenes an annual Functional Foods Task Force, a group of industry experts representing dairy research, product development, marketing and education.
Dr. Joseph O’Donnell, CDRF executive director, is a member of this task force that meets to discuss the various areas of dairy research, public policy, regulations and consumer perceptions that impact dairy, and identify strategies to optimize dairy’s positioning.
“The Functional Foods Task Force is an effective format for the dairy industry to proactively maintain its position as an important vehicle to help children and adults achieve a healthy lifestyle,” says Dr. O’Donnell.
Discussions at the recent 2008 FFTF meeting included:
• consumer acceptance and demand for products with probiotics and prebiotics and their burgeoning health benefits;
• building research that dairy—specifically whey protein—may play a role in satiety and weight management;
• increasing emphasis on nutrient-rich foods—foods that are a significant source of nutrients-per-calorie;
• addressing nutrition symbols used for the purpose of helping consumers make healthful dietary choices … but which have the secondary result of labeling foods as “good” or “bad”;
• addressing the growing push to limit sodium in food products;
• nutrition issues in schools, such as the use of high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten products such as flavored milks;
• the demand for a sustainable food supply and what this means to the dairy industry.
