292 THE (HINA STUDYRosemont, Illinois-National, state and regional dairy producer
directors have approved a budget of $165.7 million for a 2003
Unified Marketing Plan (UMP) designed to help increase dairy
demand ....
·.. Major program areas include:
Fluid Milk: In addition to key ongoing activities in advertising,
promotion and public relations efforts targeted to children ages six
to twelve and their mothers, 2003 dairy checkoff efforts will focus
on developing and extending partnerships with major food mar-
keters, including Kellogg's®, Kraft foods® and McDonald's® ....
· .. School Marketing: As part of an effort to gUide school-age
children to become life-long consumers of dairy products, 2003
activities will target students, parents, educators and school food-
service profeSSionals. Programs are underway in both the class-
room and the lunchroom, where dairy checkoff organizations look
to widen the success of last year's School Milk Pilot Test ....
·.. Dairy Image/Confidence: This ongoing program area aims
to protect and enhance consumer confidence in dairy products
and the dairy industry. A major component involves conducting
and communicating the results of dairy nutrition research show-
ing the healthfulness of dairy products, as well as issues and crisis
management ....If I may paraphrase the dairy industry'S efforts: their goals are to 1)
market to young children and their mothers; 2) use schools as a chan-
nel to young customers; 3) conduct and publicize research favorable to
the industry.
Many people are not aware of the dairy industry'S presence in our
schools. But make no mistake: on nutrition information, the dairy in-
dustry reaches young children more effectively than any other indus-
try.
The dairy industry has enlisted the public education system as the
primary vehicle for increasing demand for its products. The 2001 Dairy
Management, Inc., annual report stated^6 :
As the best avenue to increase fluid milk consumption long-term,
children are without a doubt the future of dairy consumption.
That's why the dairy checkoff continues to implement school milk
marketing programs as one way to help increase kids' fluid milk
consumption.