The International Dairy Federation recently launched the fourth edition of its Dairy Sustainability Outlook series, which it says provides new case studies to support the dairy sector in delivering on its commitment to sustainable development.
The release of IDF Dairy Sustainability Outlook 4 coincided with the United Nations Food Systems pre-Summit held in Rome on July 26.
“The UN Food Systems Summit (to be held in September) and pre-summit are an important opportunity to focus attention on milk and raise awareness of dairy’s part in healthy diets, responsible food production, and supporting livelihoods and communities,” IDF director general Caroline Emond said.
Seventeen case studies from the dairy community are presented that look at how dairy contributes to global health and wellness by delivering vital nutrition in the form of high-quality protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
Ms Emond said the case studies also demonstrated how dairy helped reduce poverty and contribute to nutritional security, and how global dairy production was part of critical infrastructure.
“Without dairy animals inhabiting and grazing land and transforming grass, by-products and inedible plants into nutritious milk, a pasture that is highly productive would become unproductive grassland, and land degradation and biodiversity losses may occur,” she said.
“The edition also shows clearly how dairy is a staple food with traditions deeply woven into societies all around the world. The versatility and affordability of milk and dairy products allow for varied use and incorporation into various dietary patterns and across different cultures. This is supported by (Food and Agriculture Organization) data showing that more than one billion people's livelihoods are supported by the dairy sector and that dairy is consumed by more than six billion people globally.”
The commitment of the global dairy sector to the UN Sustainable Development Goals was formalised by the Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam signed by the IDF and the FAO in 2016.
The sector has also submitted sustainability projects and programs that could be scaled up to make the food systems better, including School Milk Programs, Dairy Sustainability Framework, Net Zero, Pathways to Low Carbon Dairy, Dairy Nourishes Africa and Protein Quality.
IDF Dairy Sustainability Outlook 4 is free to all and can be downloaded from https://fil-idf.org/