(Washington, D.C. –May 6, 2013) - The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is pleased to announce that the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest 2013 will be held November 3-4, in conjunction with the International Dairy Show, which will take place November 3-6, 2013, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.
This unique two-day contest will bring the brightest and best dairy food technology students from around the country for a competition testing the quality of their sensory skills and a chance to network with industry personnel across the food, dairy and beverage industry.
“We are delighted to have this time-honored contest return to the International Dairy Show,” said Neil Moran, senior vice president of IDFA. “With the addition of the contest to the show floor, specialty pavilions and new networking opportunities, it is our goal to bring together all aspects of the industry to the Dairy Show to create the most important dairy, food and beverage event of the year.”
Holding the contest with the International Dairy Show offers the blending of the most knowledgeable college students with real industry challenges, making for an excellent learning experience. After the two-day contest, the judging area will be transformed into a lounge for contest sponsors and alumni.
This year, the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest Board of Directors will offer travel stipends to all teams in the contest. To learn more about this unique competition, or to enter the contest, visit www.dairyproductscontest.org.
For more information about the International Dairy Show, visit www.dairyshow.com or contact Robin Cornelison, IDFA trade show director, at rcornelison@idfa.org.
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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $125-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found online at www.idfa.org.
The Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest, initiated in 1916, represents the culmination of student training by college professors who are experts in dairy product evaluation. A group of industry experts select the six products to be judged in each of the six categories, and they evaluate them using the same attributes and scoring values taught by the coaches. The six dairy products that are evaluated include 2% fluid milk, butter, cheddar cheese, vanilla ice cream, cottage cheese, and strawberry-flavored Swiss-style yogurt. During the competition, the students utilize their method honed sensory skills and standardized scorecards to evaluate the quality of and score the products. Teams and individuals that score closest to the expert evaluations are honored with awards. For more information visit www.dairyproductscontest.org