2011 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report - Innovation Center for US Dairy

WELCOME ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL ECONOMIC
ABOUT
About the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy provides a forum for
the dairy industry to work together pre-competitively to
address barriers and opportunities to foster innovation
and increase sales. The Innovation Center aligns the
collective resources of the U.S. dairy industry to offer
consumers nutritious dairy products and ingredients, and
promote the health of people, communities, the planet and
the industry.
In 2008, the Innovation Center was founded through the
dairy producer-funded dairy checkoff program (described
on page 54) to work with and through the dairy value
chain to overcome barriers and identify opportunities
for long-term, sustainable growth. In 2010, the Dairy
Research Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), was established
under the leadership of America’s dairy producers,
serving as the research arm of the Innovation Center, to
strengthen the dairy industry’s access to and investment
in the technical research required to drive innovation and
demand for dairy products and ingredients globally. The
Dairy Research Institute works with and through industry,
academic, governmental organizations and commercial
partners to drive pre-competitive research in nutrition,
products and sustainability.
Organizational Structure and Governance
Dairy Management Inc., headquartered in Rosemont,
Ill., staffs the Innovation Center and the Dairy Research
Institute. The Innovation Center board of directors is
comprised of 32 leaders representing 30 key U.S. dairy
producer organizations, dairy cooperatives, processors,
manufacturers and brands. Innovation Center board
members are listed at USDairy.com/BoardofDirectors.
The board, which meets twice annually, has six operating
committees that represent strategic focus areas —
Sustainability, Health and Wellness, Research and Insights,
Food Safety, Consumer Confidence and Globalization.
The Sustainability Operating Committee oversees the
Sustainability Council, a multi-stakeholder governing body
described on page 12.
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