Advisory Board Recommends Action in Four Key Areas
During May, the Communication and Scientific Advisory Board of Global Dairy Platform met for the first time. Although the group recommended many specific actions, they fell into four key priority areas that GDP should focus on.
- That integrity and trust in milk and dairy increases among the world’s consumers
The challenge here is to coordinate the delivery of messages that focus on positive attributes/values of milk and dairy to recapture the core values of dairy, or establishing them where they do not already exist, based on a firmly established scientific base. The key aim is to build integrity and trust in dairy products across the category. This work needs to create a high-level view that allows comparison between markets, ensuring that key claims are registered and available for use in all markets. Such an increase in trust will only occur if the use of dairy terms is rigourously defended across markets and anti-dairy messages are challenged. Adult consumers need the evidence to differentiate milkfat from saturated fat so they can realise the benefits offered by dairy in numerous health areas.
- That milk and dairy becomes linked to weight loss and weight management in the consumer’s mind
Recent advances now make it possible to link dairy to wellness and weight management based on clear, scientifically proven mechanisms. In some cases, the emerging science has been communicated successfully in some of the world’s markets. The Communication and Scientific Advisory Board recommended that this type of communication be expanded and coordinated on a much wider scale to become truly embedded in consumers’ minds. A coordinated meta-analysis of the science would clarify the mechanism involved and provide an evidence base to deepen this understanding among consumers and regulators.
- That milk is viewed as essential at all stages of life
This means creating a holistic view of dairy products and fermented dairy products as essential at each life stage, centering on the core positive attributes that dairy provides. For infants and children, these include essential calcium for promoting healthy bones, teeth and normal growth. For adult consumers, the benefits focus on reducing hypertension, improving gastrointestinal health, and enhancing immune function, as well as minimising osteoporosis and sarcopenia. Linking the economic effects of dairy’s benefits will provide a convincing argument why governments should support the work of communicating the advantages that dairy products provide.
- That regulation does not create unwarranted barriers to the consumption of milk
Nutrient profiling, trans fats and the burden of regulation have created barriers for dairy businesses around the globe. In the past, the problem often has been compounded by misinformation or ineffective communication as compared to other industry sectors. The GDP Communication and Scientific Advisory Board consists of Prof. Arne Astrup (Denmark), Prof. Dr. Peter van Bladeren (Switzerland), Mr. Cédric Boehm (Switzerland), Prof. Shuichi Kaminogawa (Japan), Prof. Frans Kok (The Netherlands), Mr. Richard Lange (Australia), Dr. Gregory Miller (United States), and Prof. Tom Sanders (United Kingdom). The purpose of the group is to provide expert advice and direction on the scientific research, regulatory and communication issues that GDP tackles on a worldwide basis.
The GDP staff is now creating a strategic plan that will enable the industry to deliver against the objectives, which will be presented to the GDP Annual Meeting in Dublin, Ireland, on 1 October 2007.
While the group already consists of some of the world’s leading scientists and communicators from across the industry, there was a feeling that the board should be strengthened to include more experts with direct regulatory experience. A number of people’s names has been put forward and will be approached prior to the next advisory board meeting.
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