Why Are Dairy Products Important? by Al Duthie If you happen to read too much of the wrong press, or listen to the wrong people, you might start to believe that all dairy products are bad. Opponents of dairy claim cows are bad, butterfat is bad, and dairy in general is bad. Often these claims are made to promote non-dairy products, which do have their niche markets, and a need for some of the consuming population, those of which have intolerances, or allergies, or medical issues. But, there is room for both dairy and non-dairy. There is no reason to attempt to eliminate or ban dairy products. Dairy products are safe and affordable. Dairy products are nutritionally a great part of a person’s diet and promote good health. An 8 ounce glass of whole milk can provide a 6 year old child with about half of the daily protein requirement. And this same glass of whole milk provides key micro-nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, seleni- um, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and vitamin B5. About 73% of calcium available in the food supply is provided by milk and dairy products. In fact, to get the same amount of calcium from drinking 8 oz. of milk you have to eat ¼ cup of broccoli, or 7 oranges, or 6 slices of wheat bread. The dairy industry is a big part of the United States economy. This includes dairy farms, equipment suppliers, cooperatives, dairy ingredient suppliers, dairy manufacturing plants, etc. The industry actually is about 1% of our country’s gross domestic product (GDP), which includes about $628 Billion, about 3 million jobs, and $159 Billion in wages. And, besides the health importance and business importance of dairy products, there is the personal aspect of the pure drinking and eating enjoyment. We like milk, or we like yogurt, or we like sour cream, or we like cottage cheese, or we like ice cream. And then when you add all the recipes of today (more and more) that include a dairy product as an ingredient the consumption and enjoyment is enhanced. And this is the biggest part of why we keep the cows working to produce their 6-8 gallons of milk per day. The rest (health and business aspects) simply follows. So, raise your glass of ice cold milk, or raise your large spoonful of yogurt or ice cream; to a “toast” of DAIRY! DO DAIRY! It was a dreary April 1, at 12:00 in the afternoon, when a certain R&D Lab Technician made her way quietly to the Pilot Plant basement. Her target, Jeff Hacaga, had gone to the Fitness Center during his lunch break, so it was the time to strike. Earlier that day, (not so) Secret Agent Emily Plapp had delivered balloons for the Lab Technician’s mission. Deep in the basement, where no one could see or hear her, the Technician was quickly blowing up the balloons; her mission: sabotage Jeff ’s office. By 12:30 the balloons were all blown up, the office floor covered in a mess of pink and purple. A mission success, as the target came back to find his work space had been disrupted.
April Fools
The target quickly figured out that the Lab Techni- cian had taken part in the Crest Catastrophe, and questioned her, making her give up her accomplice – (not so) Secret Agent Emily, and thus enacted his revenge against her. Now Agent Emily’s office had been compromised, not only was the floor covered, but shoved on shelves, hanging from the ceiling, and even pinned to the wall – balloons. Balloons everywhere. The Lab Technician knew she would take the fall for divulging the identity of her accomplice, but it was well worth it to go down in history as an April Fool’s Day to remember. Signed, Lab Technician Deven
January, February & March 2022 Crest Ink 19
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