USDEC cordially invites members to attend the final judging event of the 6th USDEC-JU Food Innovation Competition, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, on the Campus of Jiangnan University (JU) in Wuxi, China.

The annual contest, called the "Tasty U.S. Dairy Cup", has become an integral part of the USDEC-JU partnership. This year's theme is "Dairy Ingredients Bring 'New Productive Forces' for Innovative Quality Foods," which draws on the slogan "New Productive Forces" that has been adopted by many industries in China to promote manufacturing and innovation.

The competition is an opportunity to teach students about the variety, benefits and functionality of U.S. dairy ingredients in food systems and gives them the opportunity to realize their innovative potential with hands-on time in the lab. The products they create are then presented, tasted and judged by a panel of food industry experts. In addition to generating exposure to U.S. dairy ingredients and their benefits, the contest supports USDEC's development goals as these students, the future of the food workforce, prepare to start their careers.

This year's competition began in May with about 150 students. Student teams developed 27 proposals over the following two months, which were evaluated by a panel. Fourteen product proposals were selected to enter the final stage of the competition. Those teams received further training and support in September and are currently in the lab developing their product idea in preparation for the public voting and final competition.

Members interested in participating in the final judging or looking for more information, please contact Annie Bienvenue.