Multi-Strategies Activities
CDIC held a meeting with its Steering Committee in October to obtain feedback on past programs and guidance on the 2026 plan development. The committee sees continued value in R&D activities, provided suggestions on strengthening the workforce pipeline, and expressed strong support on all training and education events. CDIC participated in a panel at the Annual Meeting of the Dairy Council of California and Dairy Institute, November 2025. Project Protein Support Staff prepared and researched data to support the cross-functional initiative, and participated in strategy meetings. In addition to ongoing support for the CMAB Project Protein endeavor, CDIC staff presented during the November CMAB Processor Partners Webinar presentation. Many dairy products, including fluid milk, yogurts, and most cheeses, contain enough protein to satisfy FDA requirements for “good source” or “excellent source” of protein claims on packages, which is one important criterion that consumers use when seeking out high protein offerings. The presentation was a call to action, highlighting the benefits of making protein claims on pack but also highlighting the simple ways in which processors can take advantage of dairy nutrition to make claims now, without any reformulation
Support for the Real California Milk Excelerator & Incubator Programs The 7 th annual Real California Milk
Excelerator has been a leading force in helping growth-stage startups scale innovative dairy products. This year, the program expanded to support earlier-stage founders by introducing the Incubator track. CDIC staff have been heavily involved with the program, including determining selection criteria to ensure technical feasibility and
the likelihood of producing these products in CA using Real California Milk, working closely with Incubator companies to support product development, product innovation, and scaling up technical support. Four companies required new formulations that CDIC supported by utilizing technical resources and learnings from prototype formulations developed in the past few years. Having technical resources available in-house simplifies the work with these Incubator companies, making it easier to incorporate California milk.
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