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
New Joint IDF / ISO Standard Published on the Dete...
IDF and ISO have jointly published ISO 9877 | IDF 258, a new international standard providing a harmonised method for determining ash content in milk....
IDF publishes New Guidance on the Codex General St...
The International Dairy Federation (FIL-IDF) has released Bulletin of the IDF N° 540/2026, offering practical guidance to support consistent use of....
IDF Regional Dairy Conference Africa 2026 Held in ...
The IDF Regional Dairy Conference Africa 2026 took place from 31 March to 2 April 2026 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, gathering policymakers, dairy....
IDF Mastitis and Milking Technology Joint Conferen...
The International Dairy Federation (IDF) Mastitis and Milking Technology Joint Conference 2026 successfully took place from 11-13 March 2026 at the....
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....
