IMPA Conference Celebrates 90 Years

The Idaho Milk Processors Association (IMPA) Annual Conference, set to be held August 11-12 in Sun Valley, will celebrate its 90th anniversary this year. The annual gathering will feature keynote speakers Tom Suber, president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and Greg “Dr. Dairy” Miller, the National Dairy Council’s chief science officer.

A panel discussion will also be held among dairy experts during this year’s event. The discussion, entitled “The Future of Food” will addresses balancing consumer trends and food security. Other features for this year’s event include the ninth annual IMPA Dairy Product Development Competition and the 21st annual Idaho Milk Processors Contest.

The IMPA Product Development Competition challenges universities with nutrition and food
science programs to create promising new food products that contain dairy ingredients. This year’s participating universities include Brigham Young University(BYU), Cornell University, Utah State University,
and a collaborative effort by University of Idaho and Washington State University.

Some of the ideas that came out of last year’s product development competition include:

Eureka! meat marinade, Utah State’s grand-prize-winning entry that incorporates Greek yogurt whey, an inexpensive, underutilized dairy product, as its main ingredient.

Pro-Yo, BYU’s fresh, healthful, dairy-based, high-protein yogurt bar that uses whey
protein crisps instead of traditional grains.

Nutri-Bitzz, the crispy, gluten-free, high-protein, dairy-based crackers from South Dakota State University that offer 125 percent more protein than typical crackers.

The Idaho Milk Processors Contest rewards current innovation in cheese, with a judging panel grading more than 100 entries in 18 different classes of cheese from processors in Idaho and five
neighboring states.