The Dairy Management Inc. New Product Competition is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students in the United States to develop new products in line with current industry and consumer insights that benefit health and wellness.
After all, dairy does more than taste good. The protein it contains is more satisfying than the amount of carbs or fat, helping consumers feel fuller and potentially sleep better. For those who exercise heavily, protein helps with muscle repair while sleeping.
With a heightened emphasis on health and wellness, consumers are looking for products that benefit digestion, immunity, joint health, and general health.
The competition provides a platform for students to bring their knowledge and expertise to dairy product innovation. Students can integrate their work on product formulation with packaging, pricing, and marketing to create a product that meets consumer needs.
Students can submit their dairy products before the deadline of Jan. 15 here. New products must follow these guidelines:
- Must contain greater than 51% dairy ingredients by weight of the finished product
- Use any form of fresh or dry milk, whey, milk fat, milk proteins, cheese, lactose fractions, or other dairy ingredients
- Must provide a good dairy protein source (the product should contain 10% or more of the daily value per reference amount)
- Meet food labeling and regulatory criteria as specified by the Code of Federal Regulations
- Be fit for human consumption
»Related: Wisconsin students win dairy checkoff competition with RootCurd
The competition will include three phases
Phase One: Preliminary report and cover letter
The cover letter must include school affiliation, student names, adviser names, and ingredient supplier names. The cover letter must also include the email and contact number of the team captain or the designated team contact.
The five-page preliminary report must follow these guidelines:
- Must not indicate school affiliation, names, or ingredient supplier names
- Should not exceed five pages, double-spaced, font size minimum 11
- Should include, but is not limited to
- Title page
- Product description
- Feasibility of production and/or process description
- Marketability/target market
- Preliminary sensory data
- Dairy ingredient functionality in the product
- Demonstrate how the product is linked to DMI consumer insights
- List of citations
- Process flow diagram
- Photograph of product
- Any other tables and figures to support the text
The preliminary report will be judged on the following criteria:
- Innovativeness of concept
- Link to DMI consumer insights
- Product description
- Process description
- Use of dairy ingredients (>51% dairy by weight is required)
- Commercial feasibility/problem solving
- Marketing/potential
- Safety/shelf life
Phase two: full report and product/webinar presentation
The top six entrants will submit a full project report which will be reviewed by a panel of judges selected by DMI.
These entrants will also submit the product for sampling and present at a webinar at the end of April for final judging. Three student team members will complete the presentation. Judges can ask questions of any team member.
Phase three: Institute of Food Technologies Annual Meeting
The top three teams will be invited to and honored at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting in Chicago in July. A judging panel will make the final assessment and selection.
First prize: $10,000; second prize: $7,000; third prize: $4,000. The fourth, fifth, and sixth-place products will also receive $2,000 each.
