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Board Editorial

OFTEN IMITATED, NEVER DUPLICATED

By Don Gordon, BOARD MEMBER FOR REGION 5, CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES, DURHAM REGION, PETERBOROUGH, AND YORK, DAIRY FARMERS OF ONTARIO

Athletics have always been a big part of my family’s life. My sons both played sports growing up, including competitive hockey. My wife and daughter are both runners. And after a devastating barn fire in 1999, running became my solace for a number of years. As a dairy farming family, dairy has always been a staple in our family’s kitchen, but dairy has also always been there as a go-to snack and post-exercise recovery meal. Dieticians know it, fitness gurus know it, and we all know it: Good nutrition is the foundation of health and wellness, and dairy is a crucial part of a healthy diet. We also know that the nutrition density of milk can’t be copied in the manufacturing of a plantbased beverage or lab-created product. As dairy producers who see and support DFO’s marketing initiatives, we know we have a product about which no false or misleading claims need to be made. Dairy delivers what it promises: great, high-quality nutrition made from a natural raw material under some of the strictest quality standards in the world. It is then up to processors to take that liquid gold and create diverse products that offer something for a variety of needs and palates. In concert with this, DFO is continually looking at ways to promote our product, to grow our markets and to reach a sometimes skeptical and changing consumer base. Our goals are to win back consumers who have moved away from dairy while continually increasing sales and popularity of the staple. This focus must continue and means DFO and all of our producers must continue exhibiting leadership in all facets of bringing dairy to Ontarians. I believe the nutritional benefits and human health benefits need to continue to be at the forefront of our research and marketing. In addition, we need to move the needle forward by driving more outside-the-box research. Potential subjects could include a deeper dive into human health benefits and an examination of byproduct use in plastics. As we continue our drive to Net-Zero, let’s think about ways to use these valuable products which could have been considered waste.

Dairy has a compelling story with compelling consumption benefits that cannot be replicated. All we need to do is continue to tell our story. Don Gordon

?Why wait EFP is now a requirement for proAction.

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