“We need to get out ahead of poor marketers by reshaping the discussion about our dairy brand,” explained the consumer-minded Mike McCloskey (shown second from right), CEO of Select Milk Co-op, when talking about action steps for the greater dairy industry. “From tours on my dairy, 98 percent of consumers may not know what we dairy farmers do, but they fall in love quickly when they find out,” he said in reference to his Fair Oaks Visitor Center in northeast Indiana.

“Deceptive marketing erodes trust,” confirmed DMI CEO Tom Gallagher when speaking to those attending the joint annual meeting of the National Milk Producers Federation, the United Dairy Industry Association, and the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board at their gathering in Anaheim, Calif., on November 1.

“What keeps me awake at night is trust and the farmers’ right to farm,” added the longtime CEO working on behalf of the nation’s dairy farmers. Gallagher went on to say that the Undeniably Dairy campaign, launched earlier this year, will help set the record straight and build trust.

“It’s no surprise that consumers don’t trust food labels. It’s because of dumb labeling and absence claims,” said a more emphatic Chris Policinski (shown second from left), CEO of Land O’Lakes. “Europe has run the test market on absence claims, and it’s been a failure.”

“Counteracting the GMO claims is worth everything we can throw at the topic,” Rick Smith, CEO of Dairy Farmers of America added to the conversation.