People are listening to our story

Sometimes, we in the industry feel like we’re shouting into a void about our quality products and nutritional content. However, I’m here to tell you people are listening. At lunch over the weekend, my one friend, who runs marathons and is generally a fitness geek told me, “I saw one of those dairy ads on Sky last night.” People notice.

As part of AHDB‘s Let’s Eat Balanced campaign, it was the television advert that discussed British Dairy, This & That. It is running through the end of September and will be in conjunction with full page newspaper adverts, social media and will include several foodie celebrities and influencers offering recipes and inspiration, the AHDB says. There will be further advertisements in various outlets through January, it has been reported.

Meanwhile, at the recent Dairy UK dinner, it was great to see John Allen, the founder of Kite Consulting, collect the Award for Dairy UK Excellence. As he said while accepting the award from Stephen Mangan, a British comic actor, “I have devoted my whole life to the dairy sector. They say it take a village, and this is a very special village. It enables us to collaborate along the supply chain and it has been a pleasure reaching out and getting to know you all along the supply chain over the years.”

Dr Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK, said, “John Allen is a true giant of the UK dairy industry. His contribution over the past 50 years has been remarkable – guiding businesses, supporting farmers, and influencing policy through a period of enormous change. John’s insight, integrity, and leadership have left an indelible mark on our sector, and we are proud to celebrate and recognise his outstanding career with this award. The industry owes him an immense debt of gratitude.”

It was well deserved and very apt. Our dairy village is very large and at the same time, very local. Speaking of local, Samantha Bull an I should be seeing some of you at PPMA next week. For the latest updates on what we’re all doing or to just stop by and say hello, come visit our stand G38, Bell Publishing.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
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