For the last 120 years, IDF has contributed to the development of standards for the dairy sector and has closely collaborated with key stakeholders to share its expertise for milk and dairy products, with safe, sustainable and fair-trade practices at heart.
Helping to nourish the world with safe and sustainable dairy.
ensures the best scientific expertise is used to support high quality milk and
nutritious, safe and sustainable dairy products.
IDF pillars
Standards
Nutrition & Health
Sustainability
Safety & Quality
Our Work
Dairy & sustainable development goals
The dairy sector is an essential contributor to the UN sustainable development goals.
While the sector has obvious impacts on ending hunger, achieving food security, and improving the nutritional value of diets in a sustainable manner, the sector also has an important part to play in the achievement of many of the other sustainability goals identified.
For more information on the dairy sector’s commitment to the sustainable development goals, including case studies and other information, see the Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam and the Paris Dairy Declaration on Sustainability.
IDF Membership
IDF’s membership is made up of National Committees, constituted by dairy organizations in each country and representing as fully as possible the various dairying activities of the country (such as milk production, manufacture, distribution, technology, science, human nutrition, marketing, economics, education and administration).
It is estimated that 12-14% of the world population live on dairy farms or within dairy farming households
More than 6 billion people worldwide consume milk and milk products
At least 160 million children around the world currently receive and benefit from receiving milk at school
World milk production is expected to surpass a billion tonnes in 2025.
Milk and dairy foods are important sources of several nutrients that contribute to health and a well-balanced diet.
The dairy sector benefits from IDF/ISO’s unique collaboration to provide standards for methods of analysis and sampling
Featured publications
IDF provides a permanent source of authoritative scientific and other information on a whole range of topics relevant to the dairy sector.
Latest news & events
IDF contributed to ICAR workshop on sensor data fo...
FIL-IDF contributed to the ICAR 2026 conference in Verona, Italy, through a joint ICAR–IDF workshop focused on the use of sensor data in dairy....
Celebrating World Milk Day 2026: highlighting the ...
On 1 June 2026, FIL‑IDF celebrated World Milk Day through a week‑long global campaign from 25 to 31 May, aligned with the United Nations....
IDF contributes to strategic dialogue at CDIA Annu...
FIL-IDF participated in the 32nd Annual Meeting of the China Dairy Industry Association (CDIA) in Chengdu, China, from 26 to 28 May, bringing....
6th IDF Nutrition & Health Symposium explored...
The 6th IDF Nutrition & Health Symposium, held online on 21 May 2026, brought together experts from around the world to explore the role of....
Factsheet of the IDF N°43/2025: From protein transition to food systems transit...
The factsheet analyses the narrow focus of the so-called “protein transition,” which emphasizes replacing....
Bulletin of the IDF 535/2025: IDF Global Marketing Trends Report...
The primary goal of this fifth edition of the IDF Global Marketing Trends study is to examine the specific imp....
IDF Annual Report 2023-2024
Our Annual Report 2024 provides an overall picture of the activities and achievements of IDF over the last 12....
