CHINA - And California Surplus Milk

"Could a Surplus of California Milk Fulfill China's Cheese Needs?" PBS Newshour 6/14/2013

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  And finally tonight, we conclude our weeklong look at food security and how climate change is affecting what we produce and how we eat.

Special correspondent Susanne Rust reports on how China's growing demand for dairy products is affecting California farmers, the economy, and global trade.

It's part of our series “Food for 9 Billion,” in partnership with Public Radio International's "The World," Homelands Productions, American Public Media's Marketplace, and the Center for Investigative Reporting.

SUSANNE RUST:  At the Culinary Institute of America in California's Napa Valley, a group of pizza executives is taking a cooking class.  They have come all the way from Asia to try cooking with California cheese.

Davis Wei works as a cheese buyer for the largest pizza chain in China.

DAVIS WEI, Cheese Buyer:  I definitely like dairy.  I'm very passionate about it.  Just look at my figure, and you can tell that I really love this type of food.

SUSANNE RUST:  Wei is here on a tour of the state's dairy industry organized by the California Milk Advisory Board to drum up business.