One of the many ways Midwest Dairy uses checkoff funds to build trust and drive dairy demand is in funding relevant research that can positively impact the industry. Dairy checkoff groups as a whole have been building up research for over 100 years about dairy’s unique role in nutrition and health, and because of that research, we continue to build new partnerships with organizations who bring impact in the medical field.
Dairy checkoff has recently entered a five-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic to explore research and consumer outreach efforts that improve public health and advance dairy’s benefits. The collaboration will be incorporated across Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Arizona, Florida and right here in the Midwest, Rochester, Minnesota.
Mayo Clinic physicians and health professionals will lead initiatives focused on three areas:
- Research to discover how dairy foods, particularly whole milk dairy, impacts cardiovascular health and metabolic conditions. Other potential research areas include dairy’s role on calm, sleep, digestive health and immunity.
- Communicating dairy’s strong body of evidence, new research and insights with the scientific community, health and wellness professionals and consumers.
- Exploring dairy’s role through digital platforms to propel people into a new way of precisely managing their wellness.
In addition, co-created content is in the works that will help debunk dairy myths and help consumers maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses.
“This is a powerful collaboration that shows how the dairy checkoff is expanding our scientific network to bring a modernized complement to our legacy and move us further into the future,” said DMI CEO Barbara O’Brien.