ORGANIC VALLEY RECOGNIZED AS 2024 PRODUCT OF THE YEAR USA AWARD WINNER

40,000 American Shoppers Vote Organic Valley Reduced Fat Eggnog Most Innovative Product in the Specialty Dairy Beverage category of 2024

LA FARGE, Wis., Feb. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Organic Valley, America's largest organic farmer-owned dairy cooperative, has been recognized as a winner of the 2024 Product of the Year USA Awards. Determined through a national study of 40,000 American shoppers in partnership with Kantar, a global leader in consumer research, Product of the Year is the largest consumer-voted awards program centered around product innovation. Organic Valley Reduced Fat Eggnog is awarded the highly acclaimed honor of the best product within the Specialty Dairy Beverage.  

Recognized as a globally established seal of approval, Product of the Year has operated for 16 years in the United States, and over 30 years globally, supporting shoppers as trusted guides to the best new products on the market, both online and in-store. With more consumers minding budgets and being more selective in their purchasing, the Product of the Year red seal is a distinctive mark that helps consumers cut through the masses of product on shelves to locate the best new products that stand out in the points that matter, such as thoughtful design, quality and innovation. By allowing shoppers to easily identify the top trendsetting products on the market, voted on by 40,000 fellow consumers, the emblem also serves as a valuable marketing tool for brands to build consumer awareness, especially among competitors within their respected spaces.

"With today's consumers looking for ways to cut costs, while still craving new and innovative products, Product of the Year helps to connect them to the latest products worth purchasing that are smarter, more efficient, and easier to use," said Mike Nolan, Global CEO of Product of the Year Management. "Shoppers have confidence trusting any product with our iconic red seal, as they know they are backed by the opinion of 40,000 Americans as the foremost innovative products in their respective categories."

"It is an honor to be endorsed by Product of the Year as a 2024 winner," said Daryl Spors, Organic Valley Vice President of Product Development. "We worked hard with our co-op of small, organic, family farmers to ensure that our Organic Valley Reduced Fat Eggnog has a made-from-scratch recipe using our organic milk and eggs that is just as creamy and delicious as our prior full fat version. This award reinforces that we achieved our goal to produce the best tasting dairy product that consumers will love by using high-quality, organic ingredients from cows and chickens raised without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, toxic pesticides, or GMOs." 

The full list of 46 winners of the 2024 Product of the Year Awards was revealed at the annual Product of the Year Awards Show on February 8 at Tribeca 360° in New York City. The celebration kicked off with a red carpet, followed by a night full of entertainment with Saturday Night Live alums, Rachel Dratch and Alex Moffat, hosting the Award Show.

In tandem with the winner announcement, Organic Valley Reduced Fat Eggnog is currently featured in a shoppable article on PEOPLE Online created in partnership with Dotdash Meredith, the largest digital and print publisher in America. Additionally, Ensemble IQ, a premier business intelligence resource with revered publications, including Progressive Grocer, Store Brands, Drug Store News, Convenience Store News and CBD Retail Insights, has also shared the news of the 2024 winners in respective categories.

Organic Valley Reduced Fat Eggnog comes from milk produced by happy, healthy cows on the cooperative's farms and is produced without antibiotics, synthetic hormones, toxic pesticides, or GMO's. Consumers can feel good knowing that when they choose Organic Valley – including the Reduced Fat Eggnog – they are purchasing organic milk from small organic family farms and helping protect where your food comes from.

For more information about Organic Valley Reduced Fat Eggnog, visit www.organicvalley.coop. Hi-res images are available by request.

Additional details on the full list of 2024 Product of the Year Winners can be found at productoftheyearusa.com, along with on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) at #POYUSA2024.

About Organic Valley   
Organic Valley is the leading organic farmer-owned cooperative on a mission to save, serve and safeguard small organic family farms. The brand's products are ethically sourced, which we define as food raised on organic farms where families manage the daily care for the animals and the earth while living up to the requirements of the USDA National Organic Program as well as our cooperative's own high standards and practices designed to promote the principles of organic agriculture, including respect for the dignity and interdependence of human, animal, plant, soil and global life. Founded in 1988, today the cooperative is owned by over 1,600 organic family farms. Visit ov.coop for more information. Organic Valley is also @OrganicValley on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter, and @therealorganicvalley on TikTok.

About Product of the Year:
Product of the Year is the largest consumer-voted award for product innovation. Established over 30 years ago, POY currently operates in over 40 countries with the same purpose: Guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation. Product of the Year winners are backed by the votes of 40,000 consumers in a national representative study conducted by research partner Kantar, a global leader in consumer research. The award is a powerful merchandising program for marketers proven to increase product sales, distribution, and awareness. Winning products are announced in February each year and receive the right to use the Product of the Year logo in marketing communications for two years. For more information, visit productoftheyearusa.com.

About Kantar:
Kantar is the world's leading marketing data, insight and consultancy company. We know more about how people live, feel, shop, vote, watch and post worldwide than any other company. Working across the entire sales and marketing lifecycle, we help brands uncover growth in an extraordinary world. Kantar is part of WPP and its services are employed by over half of the Fortune 500 companies in 100 countries.

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SOURCE Organic Valley