The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is a leading player in the formation of positive domestic and international dairy policies. IDFA's voice speaks with powerful impact on a myriad of issues and challenges facing the dairy industry. Members become part of a network of successful dairy professionals who offer their leadership, share ideas, and keep a watchful eye on developments that will affect their businesses. IDFA's expert staff is available to answer and discuss specific questions, providing confidential assistance to individual members on their immediate needs.
IDFA is a strong advocate for the dairy foods industry, providing leadership in the areas of food safety and food standards regulations; defending dairy's nutritional value in the school lunch program; developing recommendations for milk pricing policy reforms; providing input on proposed changes to product standards of identity; protecting free trade agreements and supporting negotiations that strengthen international commerce; developing messaging for media inquiries; and much more. We are focused on being a resource for our members and in making an impact on important policies that affect your business.
IDFA is governed by an Executive Council which directs the operations and fiduciary responsibilities of the Association. Five Industry Segment Boards offer strategic direction on the issues and policies that affect those businesses—Milk Board; Yogurt and Cultured Products Board; Ice Cream Board; Cheese Board; and Ingredients Board. The Boards direct various committees, working groups, and task forces to explore, make recommendations, and develop comments, guidelines, studies and other materials that will be presented for consideration by the White House, Congress and government agencies. Members are encouraged to participate in these groups to share their expertise and leadership, working together on issues that support industry growth. Participation on the IDFA Executive Council requires nomination and election.
The expertise of IDFA staff is highly regarded by the dairy industry, government agencies, and other food organizations. We are devoted to working with individual member companies on a regular basis, whether it's understanding the Food Safety & Modernization Act; assisting with labeling questions and compliance; advice on preparing for a plant inspection, assisting with the burden of a product recall; or any other specific need.
IDFA is spokesperson for the U.S. dairy industry around the world, participating in international bodies, such as the World Trade Organization, Codex Alimentarius, and International Dairy Federation.
IDFA stands firm in promoting and defending the image of dairy products, providing factual information in countering activist attacks on dairy products. IDFA acts as a primary information source for news media, the public and government agencies on scientific, nutrition, and food safety issues. Key message points are available on a wide range of subjects to help your company respond to public inquiries or develop crisis management plans.
Through its communications vehicles, IDFA keeps members up to date on issues, events and association activities.
Connect – a weekly e-mail with news on current industry developments, Association activities, and dairy business news.
Washington Weekly – update curating policy news from the nation's capital.
Dairy Bar - a report prepared exclusively for IDFA members by Blimling and Associates.
For late-breaking news, members receive e-mails to address the issue at hand.
Membership Briefings – WebEx scheduled every four months to review current issues, actions, and plans. Members are encouraged to participate with questions and comments.
Companies will find documents on new legislative and regulatory activities, as well as position papers, testimony and comments, links to government documents, and other important information on the IDFA website. Access to these members-only documents include current and archived information relating to food safety, nutrition labeling, standards of identity, environmental compliance, milk and ingredient pricing policies, economic & policy analyses, international trade negotiations, crisis management, media messaging, and much more.
IDFA's education and training programs provide timely and relevant information pertaining to the ever-changing needs of the dairy industry. Partner with IDFA to provide your employees with professional development and knowledge applicable to their job functions. Members receive special discounted rates on registration fees for conferences, workshops, seminars, and webinars. In addition, these programs provide excellent networking opportunities for sharing information with other dairy industry professionals, as well as with partner suppliers of equipment, packaging, ingredients, and other supplies and services.
ProFood Tech, powered by PACK EXPO, Anuga and IDFA, is a new biennial event built to showcase innovations and crossover technologies for food and beverage markets. The next show is scheduled for March 26-28, 2019, in Chicago, IL, and will feature a dairy pavilion.
IDFA is focused on meeting the evolving needs of our members and continuing to be a trusted advisor and advocate on issues that are important to you. IDFA recently expanded our offerings to include a new, members-only Knowledge Center that will give you access to more business tools and resources to grow your operations. The Knowledge Center will provide webinars, white papers and other research materials on the best practices and business intelligence that are important for the dairy industry.
IDFA offers special services to members as the need arises. IDFA staff is available to conduct full label reviews evaluating all parts of a food label, including the Nutrition Facts panel, ingredient declaration, nutrient content or health claims, and statements related to rBST, natural, Organic, Omega 3, and gluten free.
IDFA's new tool which provides an analysis of the economic impact of dairy foods manufacturers on the country, states, and local communities. Members can also determine its own company's economic impact on the community, as well as assess factors and conditions during the planning stages of determining site locations for a new facility.
IDFA has developed easy-to-use manuals, reports, and statistical publications to keep companies up to date on the latest information, regulations and guidelines. Visit the IDFA Store to view our full suite of for-sale publications at a discounted rate for members.
The IDFA's Online Buyers' Guide is a user-friendly tool to help companies easily find products and services for all project needs.
Please contact Cindy Cavallo, director of membership, at (202) 220-3505 or membership@idfa.org, if you have any questions.