Blogs
Dairy doesn’t sleep
I spent a decent portion of the last working week on my computer, watching dairy leaders from around the world discuss the effects of the pandemic on the industry, and what the industry did in response. Overall, it was quite a feat on the part of the organisers in Denmark and of the international dairy industry in general, to produce a conference with both in-person and remote sessions. But this is not the first time that dairy has stepped up to the plate and managed to deliver.
The time is now
The UK is still part of the EU, even if it is just geographically. As we are all discovering with climate change, the issues facing agriculture are the same, no matter where in Europe one lies and what one’s status is. Location triumphs over all.
A question of equipment
It was an easy question to aim at the machinery suppliers to the dairy industry that were at the PPMA Show in Birmingham, UK at the NEC last week: how was their supply chain coming along?
Working with the environment
British cheese maker Wyke Farms’ study showed its carbon footprint was much lower than either the UK or the world average, but what did it do about its flatulating cows?
Supply chain issues
Issues of supply chain disruption have come to the fore with the news that Marks & Spencer has to shut its 11 French stores. The question is, what is to blame – Brexit, Covid-19, lack of drivers, or all three?
Play of the game
The US National Dairy Council is encouraging university students to develop innovative dairy-based products for gamers. Having a devoted gamer in the house myself, we are in good company.
The path to cheddar
We took some time off the week before last and went to Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge in Wells, Somerset. My son kept asking if there was ore that could be mined that was made of cheese, but we did come back with quite a load from the Mendip Hills, which are crisscrossed with caves suitable for putting cheese in for ageing, it seems.
Spotting the trends
I have been a long-standing home delivery milk customer for years. So, the news that milk deliveries are up in the UK, with Müller reporting that its Milk & More delivery service has added 175,000 new customers in the last year and 90 per cent of them using the glass bottles, is perhaps a sign that I am ahead of the curve. Or maybe not. There’s been a pandemic on, and home deliveries are a thing now.
How big the carbon footprint is
Arla UK’s report on carbon footprint data from 2,000 farms in the UK makes for heartening reading for us in the industry. That being said, there is so much work to be done globally.
The four knights game
Turns out we’re all chess players lately. We’re on the lookout for any advantages we can get in the health and nutrition stakes, due to the global pandemic.
If it’s unsafe, it’s not food
One of the things we take for granted in the world is food safety. Estimates are that one in ten people are getting sick from an ailment caused by their food, but this safety is currently neither measured nor managed.
Awards and truffles
The International Cheese and Dairy Awards promises to be like a global holiday for foodies, with James Martin as Father Christmas.
Moving small scale centre stage
The United Nations Food Systems pre-Summit is going on this week (26-28 July) in Rome and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is hosting several events, including Bold Actions for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Food Systems with IFAD Goodwill Ambassador Sabrina Elba.
On cheese tasting and Covid-19
Trying to stay safe in a country where the infection rate is rising, while the whole country is opening up, remains tricky. However, it does not preclude going to a cheese tasting in a safe environment. The thrill of seeing people in person was real.