A government entity that is funded by California’s dairy producers and processors, dedicated to developing nutrition education programs; Dairy Council of California strives to teach children and adults how to make healthy food choices from all food groups for lifelong health and wellness.

Formed in 1919 and mandated by law in 1962, Dairy Council of California is funded by dairy producers and processors through assessments collected by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Programs

Dairy Council of California provides free programs and resource materials to educators and health professionals in California. Printed and electronic materials are available for purchase in states other than California. Every program utilizes Dairy Council of California’s own individualized learning model to support multiple learning styles and programs that establish personal meaning and relevancy for individuals. Furthermore, these programs are designed and tested to lead to positive behavior change in food and activity choices.

Mobile Dairy Classrooms

Dairy Council of California operates four Mobile Dairy Classrooms that bring a cow and calf to visit schools across California. Reaching almost 300,000 schoolchildren each year, the interactive presentations help students and teachers alike learn about milk’s journey from the cow to the dinner table, the nutritional value of dairy foods, basic cow anatomy and agriculture’s contributions to the food supply. Each lesson ends with a petting session with the calf and a question and answer period.

Meals Matter

Dairy Council of California launched the MealsMatter.org consumer website in 2001 to make healthy meal planning easier by offering free access to customized nutrition information, interactive educational tools, thousands of recipes, personal cookbooks, meal planning calendars and shopping lists.