Dairy Farmers of Canada is a big winner at the International Milk Promotions Awards

MONTREAL, October 26, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is pleased to announce it has received several awards at the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit held in Parma, Italy from October 17th to the 19th. DFC's marketing and nutrition teams won several awards for various projects at this year's 2011 Dairy Innovation Awards.

This year's awards have attracted more than 100 entries from 25 countries in 14 categories, ranging from products, to packaging, marketing and environmental sustainability.

"The campaigns developed from producer investment in dairy category growth and image was recognized on the international stage, particularly in the area of nutrition and nutrient density of dairy foods," says Ian MacDonald, national director, marketing & nutrition at DFC. "We accept these awards from the International Dairy Foundation with honour and pride."

DFC won in the Best Health Education or Nutri-Marketing Initiative category for its Power4Bones nutrition program. Power4Bones is a free, cross-curricular program for elementary students, which is based on multiple learning styles and helps teachers meet curriculum expectations in a variety of subjects, such as Health and Physical Education and Language, including Media Literacy.

"We've come to expect excellent work from Dairy Farmers of Canada over the years, and Power4Bones is a great example of clear education in the essential, natural bone-building benefits of dairy, catching students at just the right age with clear, interesting and excitingly presented materials," says chair of the judging panel, FoodBev Media Group editorial director, Bill Bruce. "Its success is also down to making the kit work just as well for teachers too - always a challenge, and in this case, brilliantly achieved."

Also in the nutrition category, DFC was named a finalist in the Best Health Education or Nutria-Marketing Initiative category with its Get Enough campaign. The Get Enough campaign encourages consumers to get the recommended servings of Milk and Alternatives according to Canada's Food Guide.

DFC was a finalist in the Best Print Marketing, Store Promotion or POS category with the Get a Load of Milk (GALOM) campaign for its participation at the MuchMusicVideo Awards last June. GALOM encourages teenagers to drink milk and engages them in many activities through the web, social media, contests and music to get the milk message out to teens in a 'cool' way.

Finally, DFC has been highly commended by the judging panel for its 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix promotion in the Best Print Marketing, Store Promotion or POS category. The Canadian Cheese Grand Prix competition is held every two years and rewards Canadian cheese makers from across the country for excellence in innovation and quality of their products. Winners enjoy the right to use Grand Prix promotional tools, including displaying the Grand Prix logo on their products and benefit from the attention generated by the competition.

The Fédération des Producteurs de lait du Québec (FPLQ) also won big at this year's IDF Dairy Innovation Awards with three different dairy products. The FPLQ won as a finalist in the Best Consumer TV/Cinema Advertisement or Social Networking Marketing category for its Milk campaign and were highly commended in the same category for their Cheese campaign. The FPLQ was also a finalist in the Best Print Marketing, Store Promotion or POS category with its Cream campaign, and a finalist in the Best Generic Dairy Marketing category with Cream too.

About Dairy Farmers of Canada

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) promotes the wholesome goodness of dairy products as part of a healthy, balanced diet and encourages good nutrition for all Canadians. DFC is completely funded by dairy producers.

About the International Dairy Federation

Founded in 1903, the International Dairy Federation (IDF) represents the dairy sector worldwide by providing the best global source of scientific expertise and knowledge in support of the development and promotion of quality milk and dairy products to deliver consumers with nutrition, health and well-being. IDF is represented in 57 countries and membership is growing: IDF accounts for approximately 85% of the world's milk production at present. IDF aims to identify, elaborate and disseminate best practice at international level in order to guide the dairy sector and to harmonize members' work on a variety of issues along the dairy production chain including animal health and welfare, protection of the environment, nutrition, food safety and hygiene and food standards.